The Pains of Being In Charge
by Illusion of Insanity
Summary: He had it all; the loyalty of thousands, wealth beyond his dreams, the power to get anything he wished for. His life was perfect, until a new recruit came into the picture. He just had to be nice and take her as his apprentice. At least she has some skill in the battling department, but she's hopeless at being a Team Rocket member! What did he do to deserve this torture! Rocket AU
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: Hey there! Illusion Of Insanity here with another Pokémon Fanfiction, this one being in my Team Rocket AU. Some quick notes before I let you read on; Silver is the main viewpoint of the story, however there will be a few chapters in Kotone's Viewpoint as well here and there. Their outfits are changed in this; Silver's sporting a dignified black suit with a red tie for his position as leader/King of Team Rocket. Reviews, Critiques and Comments are greatly appreciated! This is a bit of a shorter chapter, so it's a bit different than my usual writings. I hope you enjoy it, though!**

* * *

I smirked as I watched the two grunts battling fiercely, Houndoom against Houndoom as the beasts snapped and aimed for each other's throat. The left side was clearly winning as the right side's beast panted for breath. The left side ordered for the Pokémon to let out a Hyper Beam and the creature obeyed as the right side sat there, waiting for the hit.

Just as it was about to unleash the blast, I stood up and snapped my fingers.

"Enough. The battle is over." The Dark Pokémon snapped his jaws shut and let the energy explode in its mouth, making his nostrils release harsh smoke. I slowly walked down the steps of my throne, watching as the grunts recalled their Pokémon and bowed as I stepped between them. "I've seen enough." I slowly turned to the left grunt and gave him a small nod. "You are excused."

He gave me a frantic bow and scurried out the door. I then turned my attention to the remaining grunt as he trembled, clutching his Pokéball tightly in his hands.

"Just _what_ was that?!" I lunged for his jacket and gripped it tightly with a grimace as he cowered. "That was _pathetic_! Newborn babies could do better than you!"

"I'm so sorry, sir! I-It won't happen again!" I laughed and threw him down on the cold marble below, smirking as he shook and curled into a ball.

"You better believe it won't!" I pointed to the door with a violent jerk and scowled. "Get out of my sight before I change my mind in letting you go this time."

"Th-Thank you, sir!" He grabbed his fallen hat and slowly stood up on shaking legs. "I-I promise you won't regret this!"

"Get _out_!" I snapped at him with narrowed eyes as he flinched. "I don't want your petty excuses!"

He ran out the door faster than the victor, slamming it shut behind him. I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed before rubbing my temples gingerly. _These pathetic excuses for lackies are giving me a migraine._ I slowly walked back to my velvet throne, pausing to fix my black suit jacket on the way. I sat down on the cushioned surface and let out a groan as I lifted my feet up to sling them over the right arm of the chair. I then leaned my head back, propping it up on the other arm and stared at the golden chandelier above my head blankly.

I lazily lifted my right hand and snapped my fingers yet again.

In an instant, a powerful Persian sauntered out of the shadows behind my throne with a smirk. He padded to my left side and looked up at me expectantly, waiting for his commands. I let out a chuckle as he flicked his tail, beckoning me to speak.

"Make sure he doesn't forget our little chat."

The Classy Cat Pokémon gave a polite nod and slowly continued to the door, slipping silently out of a hidden panel in the highly-polished wood.

I waited for a few moments in silence, searching for the sound I wanted.

Suddenly, an agonized wail rose in the hallway, followed by a harsh slam against unyielding stone. I smirked and closed my eyes. _Ah, much better._


	2. Expectance

***~~*Chapter One: Expectance*~~***

I rolled my eyes as my executives stood before me with worried expressions on their faces. Archer stepped forward and gave me a short bow, exposing the recent scar on the back of his neck.

"So, you all came here to tell me about yet _another_ failure I take it?" I drummed my fingers on the freezing stone slab that was our meeting table. I raised an eyebrow as he remained bowed and dead silent. "...I'm tired of failed operations, Archer."

"I-I," He took a few steps back as he stood up straight, clearing his throat as the others shifted nervously. "I know that things have been bad, sir. But, we can assure you that things _are_ steadily improving-"

"Where?!" I slammed my hands on the table and stood up, my chair scraping against the red 'R' made of rubies below me. "Where is this progress, Archer?! I haven't seen a single piece of proof of your 'improvements'! I getting tired of having such incompetent executives!"

"Sir," Arianna slowly stepped forward as Archer clenched his fists and shook slightly in anger. "We truly are trying. It's going to take a while before everything is back to the way it was when Giovanni—" Her eyes widened as she caught her mistake, slamming her mouth shut quickly.

I stormed over to her just as she tried to fall back in line. I stopped when I was only inches from her nose, snarling as her lip trembled.

"Don't you _ever_ say his name again!" I lifted my right hand in the air quickly, making her flinch. I let out a snort just as Archer took a cautious step closer and lowered my hand, satisfied with her submission. "That man was nothing but a coward, a coward who lost to a mere child!" I shook my head as I recalled the memory of the black-haired boy who had destroyed my precious organization with such ease, the boy who seemed harder to find than Mew itself.

"I'm sorry, sir." Arianna backed away, falling back beside Petrel as he shivered. "It won't happen again."

"It better not, Arianna. I'm _tired_ of reminding you." I turned on my heel and headed back to my seat with a scowl. I quickly sat down and brought the chair closer to the comforting chill of the stone.

"...Sit." I held out my right hand, motioning to the four chairs at the other end of the table. "Conversations are not as productive when spoken as if idle chatter."

"Of course, sir." Archer nodded and waited for the others to sit before him. Proton took the far right just as Petrel took the far left. Arianna sat directly beside Archer on the right side, looking up at him expectantly. The way her eyes locked on him...it made me sick. Archer suddenly coughed into his elbow before hastily sitting his seat. I stared at them for a while, waiting to see if they would continue without my prompting.

The room remained silent, their eyes darting between each other as if begging one of them to speak. No one stepped up to the plate. I sighed and looked over my left shoulder to the dark corner of the room.

"Alonso, to me." I heard Petrel gulp just as the sound of his footsteps became audible in the space, the sound bouncing off the walls and reverberating until it became louder than my own breathing.

"Yes, Master?" His smooth tone met my ears just as he stopped beside me. I watched as Petrel began to tremble, clearly remembering the last time Alonso had reminded him of my dislike of failure. His green eyes darted from his right arm and back to my side, hinting that his wounds were still fairly recent. _It's his fault; he should have done far better with the Mt. Moon operation._

I motioned to my lap and sighed. "Sit, Alonso." I glanced at him to see his fangs shimmer in the lights above our heads.

"It would be my honor, Master." His limber body leaped into my chair, quickly curling up in my lap and purring as I stroked his pale yellow fur. He took up most of my chair, but I no longer cared. Stroking him seemed to keep me from ripping the heads off of the four strongest members of Team Rocket-excluding myself, of course. Executives a tad harder to replace than the simple grunts.

"So," I slowly ran my right hand down the Classy Cat Pokemon's spine, listening with a smirk as he rumbled with pleasure. My hand stopped as I spotted a bit of dark red flakes sticking to his paws. I clicked my tongue and proceeded to pluck the offending dried blood out of his sleek coat with a frown. _Apparently, you were a tad rougher than usual, Alonso. You can't keep disposing of them like this; I'll run out of police fodder at this rate._ "Do you four have _any_ good news for me?"

"Well," Proton smirked but quickly hid it behind his hand. "I have collected around five-thousand Moon Stones from the depths of Mt. Moon..." He glanced towards Petrel and chuckled faintly, the sound barely reaching my ears as I continued to clean Alonso. "I'm certain this far surpasses our _previous_ efforts, doubling them, even."

I nodded as my Persain did the same, the news better than Petrel's report last week. "And the evolution stones, Arianna?" The woman flinched as her name was called, making Archer hastily grab her right hand and give it a squeeze. I growled and quickly snapped my head higher. "Archer! Drop her hand this instant!"

His grey eyes darted from their hands before back to my face. Alonso growled in my lap, eager to punish him yet again for being so close to the crimson-haired woman. Nonetheless, he dropped her hand and folded his own in his lap, her eyes burning with the longing for him to resist. "Arianna!" She jolted back to my face with her mouth open slightly. She shook her head and cleared her throat, trying to regain her confidence.

"The harvest of the evolution stones has gone better than expected, sir. We've already reached our quota for the month."

I furrowed my eyebrows and frowned. "Already? You've only just started on Wednesday, Arianna. Lying to please me will only infuriate me further than a flat-out failure."

"I-I know, sir!" She gave a quick nod and continued, "It's the honest facts, sir. The stones are already in crates and ready to be shipped to our research lab in the Mt. Silver area."

I ran my right hand through my hair and sighed, my actions causing her to stiffen. _Already? This doesn't seem right...it's too easy._

"No."

All four of them exchanged confused looks before she cocked her head. "I-I'm sorry, sir. I don't understand what you are referring to."

"Don't," I closed my eyes and began to stroke Alonso a tad rougher as the beginnings of a headache pierced my skull. "Don't send them to the lab. Send them to the old laboratory in the Seafoam Islands."

"But sir!" Her eyes narrowed as the others frowned and exchanged nervous looks. "That lab's been abandoned for years! Why would you send them there?"

"Because, you unsuspecting twit," I let out a sigh and shook my head. "The stones are a trap. When our scouts found the stones, they reported only five-hundred within the whole cavern. But, within only three days, your crews have excavated a total a hundred stones without even breaking the second layer of rock? Those stones are traps, idiot. It's more obvious than the scar above your eye that you _insist_ on hiding." She gingerly lifted her hand above her right eye and frowned just as Archer looked away, unwilling to look me in the eyes. _You caused it, Archer. If punishing you doesn't work, then I'll punish her on your behalf._

They stared in awe for a few moments as Alsono started to groom himself. I hissed and gave him a swat on the ears, effectively snapping him out of the revolting behavior. Finally, Arianna nodded and bowed her head. "I will make sure the boats change course immediately, sir." I sat for a moment before growling at her. She snapped back up and gulped. "I-Is something wrong, sir."

"Why are you still here, Arianna?" I tilted my head in a mock display of confusion. "I thought you said you'd contact the boats."

She leaped to her feet and bowed hastily before silently exiting the room to inform the captains of the change. I rolled my eyes and turned back to the remaining men with a frown.

"I'm assuming there's nothing new on your end, Archer?" I didn't bother questioning Petrel seeing as he was reduced to observing the borders of the base. "Nothing's changed?"

He slowly shook his head and glanced to his hands that still rested in his lap. "Actually sir, we...we have a potential recruit."

At this, I jolted in my seat, startling Alonso out of his light doze. "A...new recruit?" I narrowed my eyes at his bit of news; we haven't had a willing recruit in quite a few months.

"Yes sir," He gave a curt nod and looked me in the eye, his greys staring into my metallic irises. "The recruit is waiting in the Grand Chamber as we speak with my Houndoom."

"Well then," I started to rise, waiting to allow Alonso the chance to leap off of my lap. I then rose to my feet, fixed my jacket once again and motioned for them to follow. "Shall we go pay this recruit a visit? It's terribly rude to leave them in company of such a...measly host"


	3. Introductions

***~~*Chapter Two: Introductions*~~***

* * *

The wide mahogany doors opened slowly, gradually exposing the dazzling room of golden walls and floors. Archer waited patiently behind me as Alonso licked his lips in anticipation of this potential recruit, Petrel and Proton both shifting in either nervous energy or excitement. _Why am I wasting my time with this?_ I let out a sigh just as the doors opened fully, exposing a lone figure sitting on a purple cushion on the floor, Archer's Houndoom circling them slowly. I stepped forward, allowing my Persian to enter before me and greet our 'guest'.

Just as Petrel attempted to enter behind the older executive, I held out my right arm and glared at the two men behind me.

"You two have more important matters to attend to. You are excused." Petrel gave a relieved nod before quickly heading down the hallway. Proton on the other hand hesitated, eyeing the room eagerly before submitting to my demand and following Petrel. I watched the younger executive leave for a moment before continuing on towards the distant figure.

When I had finally come close enough to analyze the person, I found to my disappointment nothing but a small girl, most likely around a year younger than me. Her hair was slightly disheveled, making a sea of chocolate waves that frizzed at the top of her head. Her clothing was atrocious; she wore a childish pair of overalls that also acted as her shorts with a red jacket below it and a giant white hat adorned with a crimson ribbon held in her dainty hands.

I turned towards Archer with a frown as he called his Houndoom over to his side, patting the creature on the head in silent praise of guarding this..._girl_. "Alright, where is he then?" I dully noted the girl shifting nervously and tightening her grip on the hat's rim as I went on, "All I see is a pathetic little girl."

"Sir," He turned his face towards me slowly with a cautious smile on his aging face. "This _is_ the potential recruit."

"You've gotta be kidding me..." I groaned as I rubbed my temples, Alonso sniffing her hat with half-hearted interest. "Well," I slowly lowered my hands and took a step towards her, looming over her as she swallowed hard. "Let's get this over with. Give me your name, age, date of birth, place of origin and your reason for joining my Team Rocket."

She slowly lifted her head, hazel eyes growing wide as they locked on to my face. "...You're...You're Silver—"

"Of course I am, you twit!" I waved off her awe and growled. "Just give me your specifics!"

"Oh! Um..." She nervously stood up and bowed hastily, making me roll my eyes at this often-repeated behavior. _Just get on with it, I'm growing bored faster than a Rapidash can run._ "M-My name is Kotone Soul! I'm fifteen years old, was born on the 15th of May and I come from New Bark Town in the Johto region." I nodded and motioned for her to continue, silently noting how she was shorter than most girls her age.

"And your reason for joining, Ms. Soul?"

She gulped down a shaking breath as she wrung her hat in her hands. "I-I want to join Team Rocket because...because no one ever takes me seriously!" Her eyes began to shine with eager energy as she went on, her confidence growing. "Everyone just takes one look at me and thinks I'm too small or that I'm just a little girl! I'm sick of everyone thinking I'm just a worthless runt!" I raised an eyebrow as she grew more violent with her hat, twisting and pulling as her voice grew frustrated. "I just _know_ that if I were part of Team Rocket, people would treat me differently; they'd be intimidated by me, they'd take one look and _cower_ at the girl they used to mock!" She gave a few rapid nods as she finished, her hat twisted into a shape similar to a pretzel stick.

_Ah, the old 'I want to be more' cause._ I let out a bored sigh and walked towards my emerald throne and sat down, beckoning her to come to the foot of the chair. She scurried over as if her feet were on live coals as Archer and Alonso slowly followed her, both them realizing what was about to happen. _This will be over quickly._

"Show me your Pokémon." I held out my right hand as she flinched, her eyes darting around the room. _Ah, just as I expected._ "Well?" Alonso rubbed against my legs before curling at my feet, his crimson eyes shining with analysis. "You _do_ have at least _one_ Pokémon, don't you?"

"Yes!" She slammed her hat on her head and pulled out a well-polished Pokéball, enlarging it hastily and tossing it into the air. The capsule burst open, the red light engulfing the room as a large form materialized. I narrowed my eyes, expecting a Wigglytuff or a Clefable to be her partner.

My eyes widened in shock as the form grew to over five feet tall, a powerful beast rising on thick haunches. It let out a roar, the flames on his neck creating a wave of heat that I could feel from three feet away. _A...A TYPHLOSION?!_

She turned to her Volcano Pokémon with a smile and patted its back, the gesture making the beast recall his flames. It crashed down to all fours heavily, shaking the floor below. Archer struggled to remain standing while Alonso sat upright.

"...You..." I found words failing me at this sight, leaving me only shaking my head in disbelief. I rose to my feet and walked towards them as the beast growled at me with barred fangs. I stopped in front of them, my silver eyes analyzing every inch of the beast. I slowly circled the creature, noting his powerful forepaws, his glistening coat and his hefty build. I stopped with a smirk when I had walked a full circle. _This is a pleasant surprise._

"Where did you acquire such a...powerful beast?" I held back a chuckle as she flinched at my voice, shifting closer to the Pokémon.

"I received him from Professor Elm when I began my journey as a Pokémon Trainer, Mr. Silver—"

I growled and stomped my right foot into the ground to cut her off. "You are to refer to me as _sir_! No one is to call me by my name! The next time you do, you will be punished, grunt or not." She gulped and nodded her head hastily as Archer watched on in fascination.

"I went on a journey thinking it would make people respect me..." She looked down to her pink shoes and growled. "It only made things worse! Every Gym I challenged, they only laughed and told me to come back when I became a Pokémon Trainer..." She trailed off as he voice quivered with anger. She cleared her throat and continued, "I've gathered all eight of Johto's badges, but they still deny my right to challenge the Elite Four! They claim I'll get lost inside of Victory Road and won't let me pass the gate! I want..." She looked back up at me with a flame in her eyes, burning a hole in my face. "I want to teach them a lesson. I want them to pay for their actions!"

"Well then," I smirked and returned to my chair, giving Alonso a swat on my way as he tried to groom himself again. "Only one question left." As I sat down, I snapped my fingers. "How well do you battle?"

She opened her mouth eagerly, ready to answer my questions with confidence. "I'm a great battler, sir! I'd hate to brag, but I'm the best there is around Johto!"

I laughed and shook my head. "Bragging gets you respect around here, kid. Learn to use it wisely and you'll go far." I then turned to the left as I watched Archer's Houndoom close in on them, the girl unaware of its stalking. Archer reached out his right hand and opened his mouth to warn her but I shot him a firm look, making him return to a stiff stand with his teeth clenched.

The girl let out a scream as the beast lunged at her, grabbing her left arm in its jaws. She tried to shake free from its grip, but that only made the Houndoom's jaws lock on her skinny limb. Her Typhlosion let out a roar as he slammed a forepaw into the beast's face and sent it skidding away with bloody jaws. She quickly grabbed her arm as she tried to reduce the bloodflow.

"Blitz!" I frowned as the Typhlosion flicked an ear in recognition of the name. _She's named it? ...Pitiful. Simply pitiful. She obviously can't grasp that these are simply tools of the trade..._ I quickly glanced down at Alonso and shook my head. _...Most of them, anyway._ "Fire type moves won't work on this Houndoom due to its ability! So, focus on other moves!" The beast nodded before snarling at the inching Dark Pokémon.

"Crunch!" The Typhlosion raced towards the Houndoom with its teeth barred into a snarl. It quickly grabbed the smaller Pokemon's shoulders and clamped its jaws down on the exposed neck, making the victim let out an agonized howl.

The beast's mouth started to glow as it prepared a Flamethrower attack. The Typhlosion saw this and leaped away as the flames shot out, dodging the move in mid-air without a single singed hair. It landed on its feet with a vicious shake of the floor, unbalancing the Houndoom.

"Now, use Swift!" The beast opened its mouth as gleaming stars appeared inside of its jaws. The Typhlosion forced them out hastily, the projectiles hitting the opponent in rapid succession. The girl gave a surprisingly devious smirk as their opponent staggered and fell to the floor. They waited for a moment as it struggled to its feet, letting out a weak growl.

"...This is...interesting." I crossed my legs as Alonso and I watched on. He nodded in agreement and let out a satisfied purr.

"It seems she _is_ quite the battler...although lacking in the reflexes department. She didn't notice the Houndoom until it had already jumped." I gave a nod and focused on her still-bleeding wound. Her right hand was red with her own blood at this point, but I doubted she noticed.

"Let's see if she can finish this quickly."

"Blitz, jump in the air!" She pointed above her head with her right hand, letting her see the bloody palm. Her partner obeyed and leaped into the air, head pointed directly at its opponent. "Now," Her grin grew wider as she chuckled. "Make the sky fall on his head."

The Typhlosion nodded and readied an ever greater blast of Swift. It spun in mid-air and then hurled the stars to the ground below, the attack both greater in size and more numerous in projectiles. The ground shook as the stars hurled to the golden surface, shaking the victim until it could hardly stand. Then, a colossal star smashed into the Houndoom, forcing it under a golden blanket. Archer let out a yell as the Typhlosion landed on all fours, the ground quaking below it.

"It's over!" Archer rushed to my throne and shook his head. "It's done now! She's proven the Typhlosion's worth! Call off the match!" I could see the tears forming in the corners of his grey eyes, making me scoff and turn away.

"Fine. But don't forget who's in charge around here, Archer." I snapped my fingers as I turned back towards the fight. They flinched at the sound, snapping them out of their trance. "It's over! The battle is decided. Back away from the Houndoom."

They nodded and took a few steps back just as Archer rushed to the pile of rubble where his Houndoom lay motionless. They watched as he gently lifted its head and stroked its back. The beast's eyes slowly opened as his owner let out a relieved sigh.

"It's alright, boy." I could barely hear his reassurance to the creature, but his voice still met my ears. "It's done now. I'll have you fixed up soon, I promise." He pulled out the Pokéball on his belt and recalled his defeated Pokémon, clutching the capsule to his chest in a display of protection. I rolled my eyes and looked back at the girl.

"Good job, Blitz." She gave her partner a quick hug before pulling away with a smile. "That Houndoom didn't stand a chance, did it?"

"Tyty, phlo phlo!" The creature let out a few roars, pointing to the wound on her arm. She shook her head and gave a small frown.

"I'm alright, it'll heal eventually."

"You!" I pointed at them as she turned back towards the Volcano Pokémon, commanding her to turn towards me instead. I slowly pointed to the foot of my seat and narrowed my eyes. "Come here."

She slowly headed towards me, glancing at Archer as her Pokémon lumbered behind her. "Yes, sir?"

"...You've done surprisingly well for someone who looks so small." She frowned at my words but stood tall at my praise nonetheless. "You've proven that you're at least good at battling—better than Archer, even." I paused for a moment before pulling out a handkerchief and handing it to Alonso. He stood up and delivered it to the girl quickly before bounding back to my side, slightly uneasy about being so close to such a powerful Pokémon. "Put this on that wound for now. I suggest you get some rest." I pointed to Archer as he slowly stood up. "Archer will show you to the room you shall be staying in for now."

Her eyes widened as a smile came across her face. "Does this mean...?"

I nodded as I stood up, stretching as I did so to loosen up my tightened back. "You'll be given a mentor in the morning. Your training will also begin after they give you a short tour of the rooms you will need to remember at this time." I slowly walked towards her with a small smirk and placed my right hand on her shoulder, her Typhlosion letting out a quiet growl.

"Congratulations, Kotone Soul. Welcome to Team Rocket."

* * *

**Author's Note: I would like to take a minute and thank all of the wonderful reviews I've received for this! When I posted the Prologue, I just kinda submitted to the idea that it wasn't going to go over as well due to the fact it's an AU...but then I see all of the reviews on the first chapter and now I'm like five feet in the air and super happy! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!**

**For this AU, Kotone won't be as happy-go-lucky. I mean, it's there but she's not going to be the super good girl. Just...a better person than most Rockets.**

**Oh and yes, Crunch wouldn't do so good on a Houndoom with its Dark-Fire Typing. But, hey...if something like a Typhlosion bit your neck...you'd be in a lot of pain. The battle scene was actually a real blast to write! I was listening to music while I wrote up the first...er...five or six chapters, so I think it helped me set the darker mood. If any of you are curious as to the album I was listening to was, it's _Wonder What's Next_ by _Chevelle_. I also listened to that album when I drew the cover art...**


	4. To Decide the Fate

***~~*Chapter Three: To Decide the Fate*~~***

* * *

I paced back and forth in my room while Alonso swished his tail back and forth like a metronome. I bit my lip as I tried to figure out who would be the best to take the newest recruit under their wing as their apprentice. _I know that these mentorship programs work the best in training these new members, but the worst part is figuring out who's the best choice to _be_ that mentor._

I had already ruled out Petrel, that man was too cowardly to train her to her limits. Arianna was out as well, she wasn't suited to training someone better than herself.

"What about Archer?" I stopped and turned towards Alonso; he's always helped me with assigning apprentices. "He's a strong battler and is _mostly_ obedient, he could teach her how to follow orders."

The Classy Cat Pokémon shook his head before scratching his left ear. "Archer is too attached to his Pokémon. He'd only reenforce her bonds with her own creatures."

"Ah," I nodded and sat down on my overly-large bed with a sigh, rubbing my hands against the soft comforter as I nodded again. "Archer _would_ strengthen that as well, wouldn't he? We can't have that."

"What about Proton, Master?" The Persian flicked his tail and curled up on his plush cushion. "He knows how to treat Pokémon as tools... He's also quite skilled in following orders and many missions... Teaching her would be a breeze for him."

I shook my head before a shudder passed through me. "Proton is my least favorite of all of them; he's too eager to disobey me and too rough. He'd break her for sure." He nodded before laying his head down on the purple cushion with a sigh. "I can't hand her over to one of the senior grunts, not with a battling ability like hers." I paused as I recalled just how well she had commanded her Typhlosion in battle. The creature never even received a single hit from the opposing Houndoom. "They'd do away with her; they can't _stand_ competition."

_...What about _you_?_ My thoughts seemed to provide an answer for me as I closed my eyes. _Giovanni trained you, didn't he? Not to mention that they say 'If you want something done right, do it yourself' for a reason. You haven't trained a single new recruit yet. This could be a great experience for you._ I smirked as I found my brain providing the perfect reasons to train the girl myself. _Besides, an apprentice doubles as a personal servant. You could always use one of those._

"I'll train her." I stood up with a grin as Alonso's eyes popped open.

"A-Are you sure?! She's be by your side constantly for over six months!" He jumped to his feet and shook himself off. "You'd have to let her sleep somewhere in your wing of the headquarters! She'd be a thorn in your side for far too long, Master!"

I slowly headed towards the door, ignoring his complaints. "My decision is final, Alonso. I'll go make the official statement right away."

And with that, I headed straight out of my door and into the elevator down the hall, pressing the button for the fifteenth floor. _And now I have another long elevator ride. Hurray... I just _love_ elevators._ My knuckles turned white from gripping the beam, but all I cared about was starting her training as soon as possible.

* * *

I narrowed my eyes at the crowd of grunts below, scanning the crowd for the girl in question. _There she is._ I smirked as I found her standing between Archer and Arianna, separating them from each other. _She'll be up here soon enough._ I gave the microphone a tap before I cleared my throat and placed my hands on the podium.

"Team Rocket is an organization of great power, power that comes from being together as well as standing alone." Many grunts shook their heads in agreement as the room fell silent, fixated on my every sound. "We of Team Rocket also know that new members help drive us forward. Today is a day on which we are _honored_ to have a new recruit to join our ranks in our grand organization." I stressed the 'honored' as I recalled her earlier battle with Archer's Houndoom. No matter how hard I tried, the image of her powerful beast and her wounded self calling out orders, despite the gash on her arm made my heart pound. I knew that she was an asset; if she didn't become one of us, she'd be the one to destroy us. _Keep your friends close and your enemies closer as they say; she's a much better member than an enemy._

I nodded and lifted my right hand out to the crowd, silencing their claps and whistles that had only been a murmur when I had been lost in my thoughts. "Would Ms. Kotone Soul please join me on the stage." Despite my wording, the sentence was unmistakably a command. I watched the brunette jump up before proudly marching through the crowd, murmurs and whispers surrounding her as she passed them by.

But she didn't care. As soon as she came close enough, I could clearly see the pride in her hazel eyes, dancing in the warm depths of color. She stopped short at my side with a grin, eager to become a member of my organization. I slowly took the microphone out of its stand and walked behind her. I then placed my right hand on her shoulder, holding the microphone with the other. My thoughts swirled back to my own ceremony when I was only a child, the grunts furious someone so young had become apprentice to Giovanni himself.

Little did they know that the red-haired boy was the result of his relationship with his recently-deceased executive, Grace. Having her son follow in her footsteps was her dying wish... Too bad I had to exceed those dreams of her by replacing my father.

I slowly shook my head and cleared my throat, banishing these distracting memories. "As you all know," I noted how she flinched at my amplified voice and wondered if she would shy away every time I spoke to her. "Here in Team Rocket we have a certain tradition in which all new members become the apprentice of a senior member, thereby passing on their knowledge to the newest recruit and making us all stronger." My eyes locked onto Proton's hungry eyes, no doubt he wanted an apprentice of his own. The crowd began to roar as many individuals expressed their eagerness for their own apprentice.

"And so, it is with great pleasure that I give our new apprentice a mentor." I waited as the crowd grew quiet, my eyes drifting from nervous Petrel to expectant Arianna and falling finally on the serious Archer.

"Kotone Soul will be _my_ apprentice."

The crowd let out a roar of protest as I placed the microphone back on the stand and pushed her on the back gently, trying to get her to leave the stage quickly before I had an uprising on my hands.

"Y-You mean..." Her quiet voice was filled with awe as she slowly stepped down the stairs on the side of the stage. "_I_ get to be trained by _you_?! I can't believe it! This is such an honor!"

"Less talking, more walking!" I pushed her back a tad rougher, quickly shoving her inside of the elevator and pressing the button for the seventy-fifth floor. "I'll give you a quick run-down on your new responsibilities once we reach my office.

I winced as the doors shut just seconds before a furious grunt managed to enter the small space, sealing us away from the already terrifying mob.

_What have I done?_

* * *

**Author's Note: And here's where everything starts! I'd like to thank you all for your support of the series so far; you guys really bring a smile to my face!  
**

**Notice about the headcanon seen with his mother: In my Rocket AUs, Grace is a Rocket Executive—specifically, the fifth executive. When she dies of an illness, Giovanni doesn't have the heart to replace her, therefore dropping the executives down to only four. The only remaining executives from those days are Archer and Petrel—Petrel was actually an apprentice at the time. In my regular headcanons, Grace is a sweet woman who had no idea Giovanni was the head of a criminal ring until she was expecting little Silvy. And no, she did not approve of it but kept her mouth shut for Silver's sake.  
**


	5. A Honor, or a Curse?

***~~*Chapter Four: An Honor, or a Curse?: Kotone's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

I smiled as I kept replaying my new mentor's words in my head. _I'm going to be trained by the head of Team Rocket himself!_ My smile grew wider as I found myself rocking on my feet, waiting for the elevator to reach our stop. I watched him as he gripped the bar tightly with clenched teeth, his eyes never leaving the red numbers that told which floor we were on. _I can't believe it! I must have done _something_ right during that battle, that had to be it._ The smile never left my face as I recalled the fight against the Houndoom. Sure, I _had_ been bitten before the battle started, but Blitz fought harder than he ever had before. I absently placed my right hand on the now-bloodied handkerchief he had given me. _I have to thank Blitz for his hard work, I wouldn't be apprentice to _Silver_, king of Team Rocket if it weren't for his battling skills._

"...Would you stop that?" I jolted back to reality as I found him glaring at me, his eyes seeming to be cold enough to freeze me solid.

"Oh!" I hastily stood on flat feet and nodded. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize it bothered you, sir! I-I'll stop right away!" He rolled his eyes and looked away. _I'll have to make sure to follow every order, to do my absolute best for him! I can't risk losing this chance!_

He was silent for awhile, the only sound from him was a few hisses of air out of his still-clenched teeth. I watched as his namesake eyes kept slowly drifting to me before snapping back to the growing number on the screen.

"Are you just going to stand there and _stare_ at me the whole time?!" I flinched as he released his grip on the beam and clenched his fists. "It's really starting to bug me!"

"I-I'm sorry!" I took a step away from him, just in case the rumors of his violent streak were true. "I-It's just that I'm really excited to get started! Err, sir!" I added this last part hastily as he shook his head and sighed.

"I don't think I've ever seen someone so eager to start their training." He turned to me slowly with narrowed eyes, almost as if he was confused. "I guess that makes things easier on me, at least."

A sudden bell chimed that we had reached our floor, startling us out of conversation. I jumped in place and took a few steps ahead of him, hardly able to contain my excitement.

The doors slowly slid open to allow a pale yellow blur to jump at me, making me fall back with a scream. I opened my eyes to find a Persian snarling at me, his fangs inches from my neck.

"No!" Silver grabbed his flank and dragged him off of me as I panted for breath. "Back off, Alonso! _Bad_ Persian!" I scrambled to my feet and pressed myself into the farthest corner, distancing myself from the seemingly-rabid Pokémon.

"I-Is this Pokémon yours?!" Alonso—as Silver called him—let out a roar and tried to slash me, his sharp claws only inches from my legs as Silver desperately tried to haul him out of the elevator.

"He's technically Team Rocket's Pokémon, it's complicated!" He growled as he started to drag the Pokémon away. "Back, Alonso! Back!"

"I can't believe you actually went through with this foolish idea of yours!" I froze as a smooth yet extremely furious voice slammed into my ears. "Master, this is the worst idea you've ever had!" My jaw dropped open as my eyes locked onto the Persian's face as it _talked_ in _my_ language. "Perhaps Proton will take her off your hands if you order him to!"

Silver let out a growl and managed to drag him out of the elevator's doors. "I'm the one in charge around here, Alonso! Get back in your room before I make you sleep in your Pokéball!" At this, the Classy Cat Pokémon leaped to his paws and dashed away, leaving his owner gasping for breath.

I took a few cautious steps forward, eyeing the way the Pokémon had run off to. We seemed to be in a metal-lined hallway with a few doors beside the elevator. A set of golden double-doors was directly across from the machine, a giant and sparkling 'R' in a vibrant red directly in the center of the two doors. I slowly turned my attention back to him as he finally caught his breath and stood up.

"Where are we?" His eyes narrowed as he turned towards the door on the far right and shook his head.

"This is my personal wing of the headquarters." He paused to point at the embellished doors with a bored expression. "That would be the doors to my chambers. _You_," He frowned as he looked back at me. "You are to never enter under _any_ circumstances without my permission. Understand?"

"Yes, sir." I nodded vigorously, the action seeming to annoy him.

"That door over there," He pointed to a metal door with a small keypad beside it on the right side of the elevator. "Is my personal storage for my Pokémon. You will be expected to check on them once a week and make sure every single one of them is in perfect health." I nodded as he then specified the door closest to the elevator on the left only a few feet away. "That is my personal battlefield. You will be training there on a daily basis with and without your Pokémon." He stopped and raised an eyebrow at me. "Just how many do you have, anyway?"

I stood up straight as his gaze focused on me. "I-I own seven Pokémon, sir!"

"Seven?" He shook his head and sighed. "Apparently, you don't care about catching a new species you find. No matter," He waved at me dismissively and looked away. "You could always train with some of the Pokémon in the storage rooms."

He then pointed to a door on the far right and scowled. "That, is Alonso's room. You enter at your own risk, got it?" _Wait, what?!_ He glanced back and sighed, "He's very territorial, as you just witnessed." My thoughts whirled back to the strange Pokémon as I shuddered.

"Did he really just _talk_?!" Silver's eyes narrowed as his face twisted into another scowl. "I mean, all Pokémon can talk of course... But he sounded like he was speaking _human_!" He suddenly jumped and raised an eyebrow, his previous expression falling into a frown.

"You...can understand what they're saying?" I found a slight trace of awe in his voice, making me feel slightly confused.

I cocked my head and frowned as his eyes grew wide. "Can't you? I always thought all trainers could understand their Pokémon."

He shook his head quickly and looked away. "We can discuss this later. Right now, you need to change out of that...that..._get-up_." I pouted and fixed my overall straps as he grimaced at my clothes. "You'll find a new uniform in your quarters."

I nodded as he pointed to the last door, another metal one with a keypad on the far left. "That is your quarters. You'll be spending most of your down hours there, so you'd better get used to it." He pulled out a small sheet of paper and held it out towards me. "This is the combination to the lock. I'll have to register your fingerprints into all of the systems, which _will_ take awhile. Until then, you'll have restricted access to the base." I nodded and gently took the strip of paper out of his hand, allowing him to use his hands to fix his suit jacket.

"...12...24—"

"Would you stop reading the code and just go change?!" I glanced up from the last two numbers to find him storming off inside of the gleaming doors, slamming them shut behind him.

_...Was it something I said?_ I frowned as I headed over to my new room and inserted the numbers into the high-tech touchscreen. The door gave a small click and opened automatically, startling me slightly. _I'll have to be careful not to make him upset again... Maybe he just expects me to follow orders faster, that might be his problem..._ I shook my head and slowly slipped inside of the small room, pushing the thoughts aside for the moment.

* * *

**Author's Note: And here we have the first chapter in Kotone's Viewpoint! Yay~  
**

**I'd like to take a moment and again thank you all for your support! I know I thank you guys a lot, but you guys _mean_ a lot to me...so thank you!**

**Alonso is a bad kitty-cat. A VERY BAD PERSIAN. Oh, and the security code was _totally_ Silver's birthdate. That room used to be his, after all~**


	6. A Problem Already

***~~*Chapter Five: A Problem Already: Silver's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

I sighed and rubbed my temples as the sharp stabs returned to my head. _I'm a half-hour into this mentorship and I've already got a headache!_ I frowned as I recalled how vicious Alonso had been towards her. _I'll have to keep an eye on him; that creature gets jealous faster than anything I've ever seen._ _Well, there's only one thing that can cure a headache..._ I let out a groan and headed towards my bathroom, hoping to have at least a half-hour to soak before I had to give my new apprentice a tour of the headquarters.

* * *

I let out a pleased sigh at the warm water, my muscles already relaxing as soon as they touched the waterline. I quickly jabbed the button to turn on the jets and sank into the water. _Now I can relax..._

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of my communicator ringing on the vanity sink, all the way on the other side of the room. "Crap!" I growled as the device continued to ring, barely noticing Alonso padding past the door.

"Alonso!" He froze and peeked inside of the room with a frown. "Get me my communicator!"

"...I'm sorry, Master." He smirked as he twitched his whiskers. "I'm afraid I'm not allowed inside of your bathing chamber~." He turned away and flicked his tail as he padded on past the door.

"ALONSO!" I yelled at his tail as the device continued to ring, furious by his sudden attitude. "THAT'S AN ORDER, YOU STUPID BEAST! GET BACK HERE!" He ignored me completely and disappeared out of my sight.

I turned to the still ringing communicator with a glare. _This had better be important._ I let out a groan as I struggled to reach my towel without falling out onto the floor. I managed to grab the black towel closest to me and wrapped it around myself, letting out an involuntary shudder as I was blasted by cold air.

I stormed over to the sink, still growling under my breath as bumps began to rise on my skin. I snatched the device with one hand—seeing as I had to hold my towel around me with the other—and slammed the answer button.

"WHAT IS IT NOW?!" I let my breath come out in huffs as the person on the other line let out a small sound.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, sir. I wanted to inform you that the disturbance has been handled; all grunts are now returning to their duties." _Archer, I should have known it was him... He _always_ seems to call when I'm in here._

"That's just _wonderful_, Archer." I rolled my eyes at him, even though I knew he couldn't see it. I was honestly one step away from punishing him for his ill-timed calls. "Now, could I _please_ be left alone?! I have work to do today!"

"That's true, Ms. Soul still requires a tour of the base... Not to mention a change of outfit." I heard him let out a sigh and mutter something away from the device before he went on, "I'll make sure to collect as much data on her as possible, sir."

"Good." I nodded, the action scattering a few water droplets from the bottom of my hair. "I want medical records, school records, League records...everything that has _anything_ to do with this Kotone Soul, understand?"

"Of course, sir. I'll get on that right away..."

I growled and slammed my right foot to the hard stone tiles below, actually hurting the limb with the force. "No! _Petrel_ can do such petty chores, I need _you_ to find a few of the standard beasts for her training."

"...Even the Grimer and the Koffing, sir?"

I sighed and shook my head at his foolishness. "When I _said_ all of them, I _meant_ all of them, you twit! Now, get to work!" I pulled the device away from my ear and jabbed the end button, hanging up on him as I groaned.

"Now," I tossed the heavily-encased electronic onto the counter. "I'm going to finish what I was doing before someone _else_ decides to call me for some stupid reason!"

* * *

I sighed as I pulled on a clean suit jacket, staring at myself in the long mirror inside of my room. _Ugh, now I get to play tourguide. Just how I wanted to spend my evening._ I gave the jacket one last tug before heading towards the door. I glared at the resting Alonso as I passed, still infuriated by both his refusal to follow commands and his earlier attack on my apprentice.

"Don't think I'm not going to punish you for your behavior, Alonso." He lazily opened one eye and smirked. "I won't tolerate your petty jealousy."

"Who me?!" He lifted a paw to his chin and yawned. "Jealous of that _human female_? Nonsense! She won't last a _day_ here, flawless battler or not. You might as well preorder her coffin...if you plan on burying her like the rest of the grunts."

I clutched the emerald doorknob and glared at the Classy Cat Pokémon. "Is that a threat, Alonso?" His lone eye gleamed as he laughed.

"Perhaps, Master. Perhaps it is."

* * *

I knocked on her door roughly, growling as she still refused to answer. "Kotone Soul, open this door! Don't you _dare_ keep your mentor waiting!"

The door burst open to reveal the girl hopping on one foot, trying to pull one of the thigh-length boots on with a grunt. "I-I'm sorry, sir! I just...can't seem to fit in these clothes!" She scowled and tugged harder on her footwear. "I think they're too small!"

I glared at her and shook my head. "No, you're just accustomed to wearing clothes that swallowed you whole. Now, get that boot on and hurry up!"

Her foot slid in with a squeak of rubber as she nodded, bringing a smile to her face. "I'm coming!" She then marched proudly to my side, tugging on the bottom of her skirt. "So, what's the first thing on the list?"

I rolled my eyes and motioned for her to follow me, ignoring her stares as I slammed her door shut and headed to the elevator. "You're going to have a quick run-down of the important rooms in the base, then you'll be given a set of standard grunt Pokémon to train with." I pressed the call button and glanced towards my door, Alonso's threat still ringing in my mind.

"Um, sir?" I suddenly felt a poke on my head, making me spin around and slap her hand away. "Your hair's wet..."

"I know it is, you idiot! Now, no more talking unless spoken to, got it!?"

She gave a furious nod just as the machine chimed beside us, the metal doors slowly opening with a whir. I quickly stepped inside as Kotone followed, staring at her new boots and avoiding my face. _Great, she's one of those sensitive people. _I jabbed the button for the tenth floor and sighed as the doors closed us inside of the small space.

My eyes kept slowly locking on to my new apprentice, watching as she glanced around the elevator nervously. I narrowed my eyes as I noticed a red spot forming on her sleeve. I then cleared my throat, snapping her back to attention.

"...Is your arm _still_ bleeding?" She let out a small squeak and gently placed her right hand on the growing blot.

"I-It must have broken open again when I changed my clothes, this top's a tad tighter than my jacket." She gave the top another pull and let out a gasp of air. I rolled my eyes and focused on the numerous buttons for each floor. _You're only constricting your chest when you pull, idiot._ I glanced back to find her cringing and trying to slow the bleeding.

I suddenly jabbed the button for the twentieth floor nearly seconds before we passed it. The machine growled and stopped short, jolting us inside of the basket.

I shoved my hands in my pockets as she frantically looked around the space with wide eyes. "W-Why did we stop?! What's going on?!"

"Relax." I turned my attention back to the doors as they slid open. "We're just taking a small detour before we start." I stepped out into the blinding white room before the doors were fully open, leaving her to scramble behind me as I headed towards a young woman in a white alteration of the Rocket uniform. I held out my left arm, stopping the girl from going any farther. I then narrowed my eyes as she let out a small cough and stood up straight. I turned back to the black-haired woman and frowned.

"...Fix her arm. I can't have my apprentice bleeding to death during her training." She gave me a quick nod and scurried away with the girl, Kotone letting out a small squeak of protest as they disappeared behind a corner.

I looked up at the blank ceiling and frowned, squinting to protect my eyes from the harsh lights.

_...Why did I even bring her here? It's her fault she received that bite in the first place! Any idiot who can't even tell when a Houndoom is closing in deserves to be bitten! _I shook my head and looked back towards the way they left, waiting for the wound to be sown up. I suddenly heard a sharp scream followed by loud sobs, the crying growing louder as each second passed. I turned away quickly as Kotone's voice let out another wail. _What a weakling._

* * *

Around a half-hour later, Kotone came limping out with puffy eyes, still sniffling as she clutched her arm. The nurse followed shortly behind with a plastic bag in her hands. I frowned as my apprentice rushed to my side and hid from the woman, cringing as her eyes drifted towards the pocket on the nurse's right hip.

"Well," The woman handed me the bag with a sigh. I raised an eyebrow as I found a Houndoom tooth fragment inside of the plastic, bloodstained and jagged. "We found this inside of the bite, most likely the creature had a bit _too_ tight of a lock on her arm. Her arm's sown up now, but I wouldn't recommend any rough activity with that arm for today, sir."

I nodded and turned towards Kotone as she let out a shiver. I gave her a growl, starling her to stand straight. "...Good. We have basic touring to do, anyway." I started to walk past the brunette with a small frown, shoving the tooth into my pocket for now. "Come along, apprentice. You have work to do before the day's end."

"Y-Yes, sir!" I looked over my shoulder to find her scurrying to my side. I let out a sigh and pressed the call button, the nurse turning away and walking back towards the operating rooms.

The doors opened fairly quickly, Kotone dashed inside without any complaints. I slowly walked back inside and pressed our floor yet again, watching as the doors shut the white lights out and lurched as we began to rise.

* * *

**Author's Note: This had a lot of transitions... and no, the bath scene is _not_ fan-service. Headcanon fact in the Rocket AUs that Silver soaks in hot water when he's had a rough day...and this would count as a rough day.  
**

**Thank you all for your support so far, I love hearing from all of you!  
**


	7. A Lousy Tourguide

***~~*Chapter Six: A Lousy Tourguide: Kotone's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

I bit my lip as I held my damaged arm closer to my, utterly horrified by the nurse's lack of anesthesia before stitching my arm up. _That...was terrible! I never want to come back to this floor again!_ Still, Silver had no obligations to bring me to the Team Rocket Medical Wing, so that was something to be thankful for.

"Thank you." I looked to my right to find him flinching and turning towards me with a frown.

"For what?!"

I shook my head and hugged my right arm tighter. "For letting me get my arm stitched up. You didn't have to do that, but you still did... So, thank you." His eyes grew wide with what seemed like curiosity before he shook his head and looked away.

"You cry like a baby, you know that? Team Rocket members don't cry when they get their arms sown up." He looked down at his shoes before continuing, "I expect you to remember that, apprentice."

The doors slid open before I could answer, revealing a long hallway made of metal. Silver casually stepped out and started walking ahead, leaving me to scramble after him yet again.

"This," He held out his right hand as voice bounced off of the walls. "Is the tenth floor, home of most of the rooms necessary for your training." He stopped at a bronze door and pressed his finger on a scanner with a frown. The device glowed green and quickly opened the door. We slipped inside quietly, barely making it inside before the door shut behind me.

Inside was a large field, complete with a track looping around the fake grass. Blue benches were spread out alongside the paths, providing a place for grunts to rest. I watched as a faraway grunt took a step towards the track just as hurdles suddenly sprung up from the ground in even intervals. The grunt watched as a younger figure started to make their way across the course, jumping over the obstacles with ease. My mouth dropped open as I stared at the russet track, shocked that a field could be found inside of the base.

"I'm going to train on _that_?!" I snapped to face him as he let out a laugh and shook his head, slapping me with the still-wet ends of his hair.

"Just for now." He seemed to be amused by my awe, his metallic eyes shimmering in the stadium lights. "The construction on my own training field is still in progress, but once it's finished you'll use mine instead."

I nodded and glanced back to the now recognizably-male grunt as he jumped on another hurdle. "This place is huge! How can you fit a stadium in here?!"

"Years of careful digging, planning and construction. Also, it helps that most of the base was hollowed out from a crater impact in the ancient times." I turned back to him to find a proud smirk on his face, his eyes now closed as he gave a short nod. "Well, we still have more rooms to cover. I'll let you come back tomorrow morning." I nodded and followed him out of the door with a small smile, enjoying his pleasant mood.

We walked down the hall for a while, our footsteps growing louder as I found myself walking in sync with my mentor. The hall seemed to stretch on for miles, as if never ended. Finally after what felt like hours, Silver stopped in front of another bronze door, pressed his thumb to the screen and waited for the scan.

He slowly looked over his shoulder and frowned. "You'll be able to access these doors eventually, so don't expect me to lead you by the hand to your destinations, got it?" I gave him a firm nod just as the door popped open. He let out a heavy breath and walked inside.

Right away, I was smacked with the heavy stench of sweat and body odor. I scrunched up my face and grabbed my nose, hoping to block out the horrible smell. The room was quite a bit smaller than the field and by the generous spread of excercise equipment, the stench was from the uncountable amount of people who used this room on a daily basis. I scanned the room, finding weights, benchpresses, treadmills and various unrecognizable pieces of equipment. Silver seemed to be looking for something, shifting his head from side to side and glancing around restlessly.

I let out a squeal as I felt someone grabbing my shoulder. Startled and honestly uncomfortable, I spun around to find the teal-haired man from the crowd back when Silver was naming me as his apprentice. I searched my brain frantically for his name, but found it impossible to think over the now-unblocked stench. He flashed me a toothy grin before turning to Silver with a serious expression.

"Ah, sir. It's a pleasant surprise to see you in the Training Room. Tell me, are you giving our newest member a tour, hm?" I backed closer to Silver as he looked back down and smiled again. His cold, grey eyes seemed to be swirling with an unknown emotion, leaving me feeling uneasy. I looked over my shoulder to see Silver frowning at him, clearly unhappy with the older man.

"Proton? Just _what_ are you doing here?" He seemed only moments away from snapping at the man, a heavy weight of tension starting to press down on me. I looked back to the man to find him smirking.

"Oh, I'm just training for my next mission, sir. You know, just in case..." Proton narrowed his eyes, making my mentor step a bit closer to my side. His smirk grew as his eyes darted to me for a few moments before dashing back to my mentor.

"Well," He placed a hand on my shoulder, the gesture somehow both easing the pressure and sending off warning bells in my mind. _Something's not right here... Silver seems uneasy around this man...but why? He's the leader of Team Rocket, so why does he act this way around one of his own?_

I shook my head slightly, trying to clear my thoughts. "I think you've seen enough of the Training Room for now. Come along," He gave me a slight shove towards the door, making Proton raise an unkempt eyebrow. "We have rooms to see yet."

"But, sir..." I looked over my shoulder with a frown as Silver grabbed my shoulders and moved me forward around the taller man. "We just got here..."

Silver let out a small hiss, as if he was trying to make me stay quiet. I took a quick peek over my shoulder to find his eyes narrowed and his gaze clouded, as if he was lost in his thoughts.

"Sir, if you don't mind..." Proton lowered his right arm in front of me, preventing me from passing him. "I could take her on the rest of the tour; I'm sure a great leader like you has more important things to do than lead such a little girl around the base..." His voice drifted off as he stared down at us, smirking madly. _I'm not a little girl!_ I bit my lip though, preventing myself from spitting my thoughts at the strange man.

"No!" I felt Silver's hands tighten on my shoulders before he cleared his throat and tried again in a calmer voice, "No. I can handle my own apprentice, Proton. Why don't you train like you _claimed_ you were doing in here."

I felt a small smile flash on my face at Silver's stinging comment, his words wiping the grin straight off of Proton's face. The young man clenched his teeth and back away from us hesitantly, lifting his arm out of my way slowly.

"Yes...of course, sir. Please excuse my boldness." I took a quick glance at his face to find not a single trace of sincerity to back up his words, making a new wave of unease sweep over me. I let out a small squeak as Silver yet again started to lead me to the door.

We hurried out without another sound, the uneven pace making me fumble over my own feet. Silver slowly started to release my shoulders and head to my right, shooting nervous glances back towards the door every few moments. I let out a squeak as I found him grabbing my right arm tightly, pulling me closer to his side.

After the door had faded from our sight, he let out long sigh and shook his head. His pace was still a slight rush, as if he still expected Proton to follow us. Finally, he looked back towards me and frowned.

"...Watch yourself around him." His voice was barely a whisper, making me turn towards him with a frown.

"What?" I found my own voice quiet as well, even though I wasn't trying to whisper. "What do you mean?"

"Proton," He began hesitantly, as if he was unsure if he wanted to speak to me at all. "Has been known to be violent and experience...strange switches in his moods. I want you to stay away from him at all times, got it?" His eyes hardened as he finished, a odd mix of worry and nervous energy churning in his metallic eyes.

"...Y-Yes, sir. I-I will..." His words honestly struck a stake of fear into my heart, making me even more unsettled by the oddly-terrifying man. I took a few deep breaths just as his grip on my arm loosened, his hand now falling back to his side with a small grunt.

It was only after we had walked far away from the Training Room that I finally found the word to describe the emotion that turned in Proton's grey eyes.

Hunger. His eyes had been swirling with a raw greed that had made my stomach churn. I let out a shudder as we kept walking on, silently hoping I never found out what the reason behind his eager look.

I hurried along the hall, nearly pulling my mentor behind me as he let out a shocked grunt.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hurray for the appearance of insane Proton! I have a headcanon where Proton is emotionally unstable, sadistic and pretty much insane. I mean, the dude was chopping off Slowpoke tails like it was chopping carrots! _That_, my friends, is why I find him horribly insane. Headcanon that Silver and Proton never get along, no matter what universe they're in. They have a rivalry in my normal gameverse and altered gameverse...but in Rocket AUs, Proton is a threat to his job and is just a butthead who likes to tick Silver off.  
**

**(Wow, two chapters in one day? I'm trying to upload three so I can focus on _"SoulSilver—Blast Off!"_. I'm almost at the climax in my writing for it and I'm only just at when Silver goes in Rocket HQ...in other words..._very_ behind. Not to advertise, but you guys might like that one if you guys like Silver being in denial, sassy Weaviles, adorable Ralts and strange occurrences. Oh, and Proton. He's there too.)**


	8. Blood in the Water

***~~*Chapter Seven: Blood in the Water: Silver's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

I found my small apprentice pulling _me_ down the hall, suddenly scurrying away from the Training Room even faster than I had told her to. _...Is she...scared?_ I narrowed my eyes as I let her pull me along for a while, too focused on the way Proton had looked at the brunette. _She must be. The last time Proton looked at someone like that..._ I felt my heart beginning to race as I remembered the blonde woman Proton had been given to train. The young woman had died suddenly during her training, falling to the floor as she ran the track.

I remember watching on with slight interest, thinking she had only lost her footing. As a full minute passed, I found myself rushing over as a crowd had begun to form around her—in hindsight—sickeningly thin body. I shoved them away and fell to my knees, searching for a pulse or any signs of life. Nothing. She was as unresponsive as stone.

Proton had been acting uneasy as the nurses examined her, half searching for any life while trying to find the cause of her collapse. We had _told_ the worried grunts that the woman had some type of heart failure, caused by her own body's systems. This however, was just to sooth their nerves. Once the crowd had left, I received the true story.

The nurses had told _me _that they had found a lack of nourishment along with multiple small wounds on her in various locations. Apparently, she hadn't eaten for over a week before her systems crashed. I naturally noted these signs as extremely unsettling. Worse yet, Proton refused to talk about these discoveries. In fact, every time the subject was brought up, he would look away and try to change the subject as quickly as possible.

I _knew_ that if Proton got his hands on my apprentice, she'd be dead within a week.

I jolted back to the real world and gave the now running Kotone a sharp pull back towards me, making her stumble into my chest with a small squeak. _Apparently, you always make strange sounds..._ I cleared my throat as she looked up at me with her large eyes, leaning back into me and giving a small frown.

"You almost passed the door." I spoke flatly, making her scramble to stand up and nod in confirmation.

"I'm sorry, sir... I was just trying to...well..." Her voice drifted away as she stared at the wooden door. She raised an eyebrow and turned back to me sharply. "Hey, this one doesn't have one of those scanner things."

I let out a chuckle and rolled my eyes. "That would a stupid thing to put on a cafeteria door. Everyone needs to have a chance to eat, even dense apprentices like you." Her eyes widened before she looked away, obviously upset by my tone.

I shoved the door open, exposing her to the deafing noise of hundreds of eating individuals. The roar of numerous conversations mixed with the sharp clang of utensils, making her wince at the overwhelming noise.

We slowly walked inside of the white-painted brick room, our footsteps on the spotted tiles unheard above the clamour. Her eyes quickly locked on to the metal buffet of food and she swallowed softly, her gaze locking on the containers of food. _...Is she...hungry?_

A low rumble came from her abdomen, making her blush and grab her stomach. I felt a small smile as I closed my eyes and shook my head. _Ah, that's a sure sign, alright. _Remembering the young woman in the back of my mind, I gave her a slight push towards the food. She jolted and quickly snapped her attention back to me with worry dancing in her eyes.

"Go ahead," I had to nearly shout above the noise to let her hear me. "Go and get something to eat."

Her eyes widened as she stared at me. "Are you sure?"

I gave her a nod and gave her another shove towards the awaiting foods. "I'm sure. You need to eat, anyway."

She gave me a beaming grin before dashing off for the metal trays, eager to fill it with something to eat. I found myself shaking my head with a chuckle, amused by her drive for seemingly _everything_. _Hmph. She's always eager... Does she really want to be a part of Team Rocket that badly? That has to the reason for her motivation. There's nothing else that could explain this behavior._

"Sir? Well, it's certainly a great surprise to see you here!" I flinched as Arianna's loud voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I turned around to find her eating a chocolate pudding cup with a smile. "What brings you to the cafeteria?"

I gave a quick glance over my shoulder to find Kotone still in the line for food, bouncing on her heels as she waited her turn. I let out a relieved sigh and turned back to the young executive with a frown. "Just showing my apprentice the important places in the base, Arianna. I certainly wouldn't be caught _dead_ eating this food; I have a chef for a reason." She let out a laugh, the sound swallowed by a sudden roar in the room.

I felt a wave of unease, making me give another frantic check over my shoulder. Kotone was right where I left her, still waiting for her chance to eat. I slowly turned back to Arianna and found her licking her spoon clean.

"What are _you_ doing here?" I narrowed my eyes as she simply shrugged and smiled.

"Oh, I just wanted to see how our little apprentice is doing, that's all." She looked around me with a wide grin, staring at Kotone with a slightly similar look to the one Proton gave her. A new stab of discomfort hit me, making me growl and lean in her path of sight.

"_My_ apprentice, Arianna. Kotone Soul is _my_ apprentice and you should learn to keep your nose out of my affairs." Her crimson eyes grew wide before she stood up straight, tightening her grip on the nearly-empty plastic cup and crushing it in her grasp.

"I'm aware of this, sir. I just assumed that us executives would have a chance to teach her a few things as well, seeing as how you're so busy with running an organization and all." She gave me a cautious smile as I felt their behavior starting to make sense.

These fools expected me to hand over _my_ apprentice so they can play mentor! They wanted to stick their noses in my training and try to steal her for themselves. I should have known from the moment I found Proton in the Training Room.

"No!" I found my anger harder and harder to contain as I glared at the sneaky executive. "You four will have nothing to do with Kotone Soul. This girl is _my_ charge and _I'll_ be teaching her everything she needs to know! You four back off and handle your own responsibilities instead!" I let out a growl and turned sharply on my heel, leaving the young woman standing there with a shrouded expression.

I let out a grunt as I reached my apprentice, the girl busy filling her tray with salad and other plant matter. "Look," She bolted to attention and turned to me with a smile, halting her arm's lifting of another clump of spinach. "Fill up your tray quickly. You'll eat in my office instead, got it?" She raised an thin eyebrow but nodded nonetheless. I let out a sigh and snatched a pudding cup from a bin, tossing it between my hands nervously.

I wanted to get the heck away from my pesky executives before they tried to force their way into my business.

I watched anxiously as she moved on to the tub of salmon and gingerly snatched some of the pink meat with her tongs. She gently placed it beside her salad before sliding down the line and stopping at some chocolate chip cookies. She snatched a smaller one and placed it well away from the other items on her tray. I let out a groan and shoved the pudding on her tray, startling her to attention.

"Just grab some silverware and get moving!" She gave a frantic nod before grabbing a spoon and a fork. She placed them on her plate quickly just as I started heading towards the door. I looked over my shoulder to find her speed-walking after me with a nervous look on her face, it was obvious she thought that Proton might be nearby.

_He might as well be, with the way they're circling her like a school of Sharpedo on the hunt... I'll have to keep a sharp eye on them all._

We walked into the hallway quietly, with no signs of Arianna ever being here besides an empty pudding cup tossed on the floor. I clicked my tongue at the sight and walked on down the hall, leading the way for my apprentice as she kept her eyes locked on her food.

* * *

I let out a sigh once we were back in the elevator, Kotone sitting on the floor and already starting to eat her salad. I pressed the button for my floor and watched her munch on a leaf as the door shut tightly, the elevator lurching before slowly heading down.

_So, it's been...what? A few hours as mentor and I'm already finding them trying to Furret into my affairs? Hmm, I think this is a new record. But soon, we'll be back in my office, alone and away from..._ I cringed as I flashed back to Alonso's threat before I had left my room. I quickly looked down to find her still nibbling on leaves and smiling, pleased with her choices. _Great! What am I going to do about that pesky Persian?! He better not try anything or else I swear, there will be consequences!_

I gave a nervous glance to the current floor we were on only to find us heartbeats away from our stop. I looked back down to find Kotone slowly lifting a forkful of spinach to her mouth. I quickly kneeled beside her and grabbed the fork away in a panic, not even realizing what I was doing. She quickly gave me a glare and tried to retrieve her fork from my hand.

"Hey! Why'd you take my—"

She was cut off by the elevator lurching to a stop, the car jumping up and lifting us a few centimeters off the ground. As soon as the doors slid open, I handed her back the fork with a scowl.

"I was _trying_ to keep my apprentice from swallowing her fork when we came to a stop, that's what!" I rose to my feet and brushed off my suit, glaring at her baffled face. "Now, grab your tray and c'mon! We still have work to do." She nodded and rose to her feet, smiling once again as we left the elevator behind.

I held the golden doors open to allow her to pass, silently hoping Alonso wouldn't jump her when she entered. I then let out a sigh and followed her inside of the large entryroom.

* * *

**Author's Note: And here comes trouble! Arianna seems to want to _Furret_ into Silver's training of Kotone Soul, just as Proton does... Dang, those executives are pains in his neck! So yeah...**

**The woman—who I didn't name because it didn't matter—was starved to death and beaten by Proton when she failed to meet expectations. The wounds were cuts and bruises and were hidden under her clothes. Proton hasn't had an apprentice since. (And thank goodness he didn't get Kotone, otherwise we'd have a problem!)**

**So, now we see a bit of motivation behind Silver's protecting Kotone in the last chapter...He doesn't want his apprentice to die before she's trained; that'd be a waste of time, energy, money and a waste of her battling talents!**

**In other words, Silver is very selfish. /hit with an Ice Beam/**


	9. Contracts and Signatures

***~~*Chapter Eight: Contracts and Signatures: Kotone's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

"Whoa!" I had to tighten my grip on my tray to prevent myself from spilling its contents in pure awe of the giant room before me. "This is amazing!"

I found myself inside of a grand entryroom, the vaulted ceilings rising high above my head and supported by marble columns. The floors were a highly polished wood that was neither light nor dark, enabling myself to see my reflection clear as a mirror. The walls were a deep blue, similar to the deep ocean and creating a calming effect on the room. An enormous flatscreen hung on the right wall, surrounded by a plush, cream couch with an ottoman resting in front of it. A glass coffeetable rested between the two, a recent issue of _Trainer's Elite Beat_ tossed on the shining surface. A highly-expensive surround sound system covered the room, showing that no expense was spared in the latest technology.

I could see a large pair of glass doors on the left wall, allowing me to catch a glimpse of a forest-green office with mahogany furniture and a large globe with small flags stabbed inside of the lands of Kanto and Johto in various locations. If I looked straight ahead, I could see the wide room narrow into a thin hallway, branching off in three different places.

I turned to my left and locked my gaze onto a deep purple cushion sitting right by the door to the study. _That must be where Alonso sleeps..._ I took a few nervous glances around and found the violent Pokemon to be nowhere in sight. I found Silver doing the same, although in a slightly less frantic manner.

"Seen enough?" I flinched as his already-loud voice bounced off of the walls, amplified and echoed by the high ceilings. I turned my head to find him giving me a slight smirk. "You're not here to judge my decor, apprentice."

"Oh!" I tightened my grip on my tray and stood up straight. "I-I know that, sir! I was just taking a quick look around, sir!"

He rolled his eyes and started to head towards the glass doors, opening the left one casually. "No need to shout, you're loud enough already without your voice bouncing around the room and giving me a migraine." I gave a small frown as he stood there, propping the door open with his back. We stood there for a while, just staring at each other before he let out a groan.

"Get in here! I'm not holding the door open for the air circulation, you twit!" He scowled as he yelled, his voice literally shaking the floor.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't realize you were holding it open for me!" I scurried inside of the green room as he let out another groan, my tray clutched tightly to my stomach.

I quickly stood in the middle of the large room, surprised by the towering bookcases that covered all but the wall behind his desk. A blue ladder leaned against a shelf, the bookcase having a bronze plaque with a large letter 'M' engraved in the shining metal. _Wow..._ I slowly scanned the room, engrossed by the many different colors peeking out of the wooden shelves. _This is bigger than the Eucreak City Library! Are these all _his_?_

Silver cleared his throat behind me, snapping me out of my trance. I turned to face him with a still awe-struck expression on my face. "Have a seat. I'll need a minute to find the papers."

I gave a short nod and searched for a seat but found his black chair to be the only one in the room. I shrugged and sat beside the now obviously-large globe, crossing my legs just as I had in the elevator. I started to finish my salad, watching him shuffle through the mess of papers spread out on his desk. He let out a few quiet curses as he tossed papers aside and searched for the ones he was after. I stopped lifting the last of the spinach and cocked my head.

"What are you looking for?" He jumped before snapping to face me with a glare.

"Your registration documents, you idiot! Did you think that you didn't have to give any personal information when you joined, apprentice?" He shook his head with a chuckle and returned to searching.

Interested, I gently rested my tray on the floor and walked over to his desk, my own eyes searching for any signs of a registration form.

"Where _is_ that stupid form?!" Silver let out a frustrated yell as he hurled his fountain pen across the room and panting for breath angrily, his hands balled up in tight fists.

My eyes locked onto a pale yellow sheet of paper, a bright red Team Rocket insignia in the top-right corner. I carefully pulled it out from under a photograph, making sure that I didn't knock it over. "Is this it?" He looked up from the floor with a curious expression, some traces of anger still lingering in his eyes and the way the corners of his lip turned down. "I found it under a few things."

He snatched it out of my hands and examined it with a sceptical face. A smirk formed as he gave a small nod. "Ah, yes. This is it." He looked up, his gaze now slightly softer than before his explosion. "Well, I see you'll be a natural."

"A natural?" I felt honored by his praise, but had no idea what finding a paper had to do with being a member of Team Rocket. _Maybe he means for recon missions? Or perhaps he means for search and acquire missions?_ "A natural at what, sir?"

He waved my question off with a slight frown and cleared a space on his desk by shoving some papers on the floor. He then started to search around the desk, acting slightly confused. "Now where's the stupid pen?! Is everything conspiring against me?!"

I looked over my shoulder to find the black pen under the large globe. I slowly walked over and kneeled beside it before resorting to getting on my hands and knees to reach under the large sphere. I just barely grabbed the writing utensil with the tips of my fingers and wrapped them around the pen with a smile. I pulled it out and sat down, fixing my now hiked-up skirt with a small grunt. I turned to see Silver quickly looking back down at the form with a cough.

I kept my smile as I gave him his pen, Silver giving a silent nod before focusing on the paper.

"Sit back down, apprentice. I have a few things to fill out before I start asking questions."

* * *

***~~*Silver's Viewpoint*~~***

_Note to self, give her a longer skirt for her training._ I let out a quiet sigh and glared at the massive amount of writing that lay ahead. Kotone had already returned to eating, jabbing her fish happily. The sight...almost seemed a little unsettling, the petite girl repeatedly stabbing the pink meat with a beaming grin. _She looks like Proton when she does that..._ I felt a shiver run down my spine as I growled at her.

"Stop smiling!" She immediately let the smile fade and busily started eating. I rolled my eyes and sat down with a humph, unhappy with the large amount of the form I had to fill out by myself. _Well, I might as well get started._

* * *

I let out a long groan as I finished the last line, writing my own name as her mentor. I looked up to find her now eating the pudding, the rest of her food reduced to some meager crumbs. She licked the spoon with her small tongue, the sight making me raise an eyebrow as the flash of pink was soon covered with the chocolate goop. _Is every part of her so small?! It's no wonder people underestimated her so often; if I didn't know better, I would've thought she was just a helpless runt myself._ I felt a grin grow on my face at the thought. _And that means our enemies will underestimate her as well. Ah, irony. How you love to play such cruel tricks on us all._

"Well," I found my voice to be calmer than usual as she slowly looked up from her second dessert. "Now it's your turn to answer the questions."

She nodded and tried to stand up, but I motioned for her to sit back down with a frown. "No, I'm still writing this out. You just answer my questions and I'll fill out the form." She gave me another nod and lowered herself to the floor, crossing her legs in a diamond shape.

"Now..." I glanced back at the form and started to read off the questions flatly. "Mother's name?"

"Annabelle Linn Soul, sir." _Wow, a full name. Haven't been given one of those in a while._ I gave her a grunt as I neatly wrote the name on the line.

"Next, what's your father's name?"

She stopped licking her spoon suddenly, her tongue sticking to the pudding as if it was stuck to a pole in the dead of winter. She slowly lowered the utensil and licked up a bit of the dessert from the corner of her mouth.

"I...I don't remember, sir." I raised an eyebrow and bit my lip as she shifted in her spot on the black carpet. "He left when I was really little...I can't remember his name."

"That's fine." She looked up with a shocked expression as I simply shrugged. "I'll just write 'unknown' in the blank and call it good. You gave a name for your mother, so we at least have one parent listed." She gave a grateful smile and returned to finishing off her pudding.

I automatically filled out her date of birth and birthplace, remembering them from her introduction in the Grand Chamber. I then reached the next line and resumed to asking her for answers.

"Blood Type?" She looked up with her face scrunched up, obviously confused by the question. I let out a sigh and rolled my eyes at her ridiculous face. "So we give you a transfusion if you get injured, stupid girl! What's your type?!"

"I-I don't know!" She shook her head and frowned at me, her eyes wide with worry. "I didn't realize you had to know that!"

"Forget it." She stopped in the middle of another apology and looked at me with great interest. "It's not that important..." I slowly reached my right hand down to the top drawer of the desk and started to ease it open. I lowered my voice to a coo as I went on, "Could you come here for a moment, please? I want you to give me your thumbprint." Her eyes grew wide for a heartbeat before she gave me a frantic nod, placing her tray beside her before standing up. I reached inside of the now open drawer and clutched a needle tightly in my fist, my face trying not display a devious grin as she stopped beside me with her head tilted to the left.

"Where's the ink pad?"

I let out a triumphant laugh and grabbed her right arm, making her scream with shock. I then stabbed her vein with the needle as she let out a shriek of pain. I smirked as I pulled up on the plunger, drawing out a generous amount of the red liquid from inside of her bloodstream. I yanked it out with a grunt as she pulled away, clutching her arm defensively and backing away from me.

"W-What was that for?! I _just_ got that arm sown up!" Her eyes were wild with fear as I shrugged and pulled out a small device, a petri dish attached to a scanner and a monitor. I squirted out some of the blood onto the dish with a smirk, the machine glowing green as it analyzed the sample. I frowned as the monitor flashed her blood type on screen.

"O Positive?!" I gave her a hard glare as she flinched away from me like a terrified Pokémon. "You couldn't have an easy to find blood type, could you? _That_ would be too easy for your mentor to provide in case you ended up hurt!"

She slowly straightened up and raised an eyebrow at me. "Wh-what..." She cleared her throat as she found her voice shaking. She tried once again, this time with a steadier tone. "What's your blood type?"

"A Negative." I spat out the type quickly as I began to write her blood type down on the paper. "But that's unimportant." I placed the device on the desk and slipped the syringe inside of my jacket pocket, saving it for the medical staff. "Now, what Pokémon do you carry?"

"Blitz, June, Rawst, Joy, Sheldon, Dune, Draco and finally, Glacia." She listed off the names with a smile, making my right eye twitch in annoyance. I slammed my palm into my forehead with a groan.

"You named them _all_?! You pathetic excuse for a—" I cut myself off with a rant; I would get nowhere with her if I yelled, I knew that for a fact. So, I cleared my throat and tried again. "What _species_ are they?"

"Oh," I looked out of the corner of my eye to find her frowning slightly. "Well, a Typhlosion, an Ampharos, an Eevee, a Togetic, a Slowking, a Sandslash, a Dratini and Glacia is my Sneasel." I raised an eyebrow as her team was listed. _Well, they're not...too bad, I guess. I can certainly work with most of them._

"Alright," I began writing down the species, not bothering to list the names. "There's one last question." I looked back to find an eager excitement in her eyes, shining brightly in the hazel depths. "Any enemies?"

"Huh?" She cocked her head and frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You idiot!" I lost control for a second and snapped at her density. "I'm asking if anyone is out to get you!"

"Oh, that." She narrowed her eyes before shaking her head. "No one's after me. I don't even exist to the world out there..." She looked down at the floor with a harsh scowl, a slightly shocking sight compared to her seemingly innocent face.

"Fine then." I shrugged and wrote that she lacked any in the blank. "Well," I signed my signature as authorization at the bottom, smirking as the leg of my 'R' looped into my 'o'. _Silver Rocket. That's my name, no one can ever take my organization from me._ "That's it." I let my pen roll across the desk as I lifted the yellowing paper up with a smirk.

"That's it?" I turned to find the energy increasing inside of her, the girl beginning to bounce on her feet. "Does this mean...?"

I let out a chuckle and placed my right hand on her shoulder with a smirk.

"Welcome to Team Rocket, apprentice. Your training starts tomorrow morning. Get some rest now, you'll need it in the morning."

* * *

**Author's Note: Hurray for an early update because I felt like posting one last chapter before I go update _"SoulSilver—Blast Off!"_! This one's a tad long, but it's important nonetheless. And before you ask, I don't really think Silver's last name is Rocket. In my Team Rocket!AUs, Silver takes the last name 'Rocket' instead of his actual last name to sever himself from his father and stake a claim on the organization to prevent the grunts from doubting him—remember, Silver's only sixteen years old here.  
**

**And yes, Silver _really_ enjoys stabbing the new recruits with the syringe to get a blood sample. It's one of the few times he has an outlet to unleash his anger. : D So, stay away from Silver when he's got a needle, alright?**

**Oh, I'll list off her team's movesets just so you know for a later chapter:**

**Blitz—|Typhlosion| (A mix of my own brother's Typhlosion's movesets and my preferred movesets)**

**Crunch**  
**Flamethrower**  
**Swift**  
**Fire Blast**

**Rawst—|Eevee| (The moveset of most of my Eevee babies)**

**Baton Pass**  
**Shadow Ball**  
**Covet**  
**Trump Card**

**Joy—|Togetic|**

**Psychic**  
**Aura Sphere**  
**Acrobatics**  
**Aerial Ace**

**Sheldon—|Slowking| (Hey, Slowkings are cool!)**

**Psychic**  
**Hydro Pump**  
**Surf**  
**Dive**

**Dune—|Sandslash|**

**Dig**  
**Earthquake**  
**Slash**  
**Rollout**

**Draco—|Dratini| (/cough/ The same Dratini earned from the Dragon's Den /cough/)**

**ExtreameSpeed**  
**Aqua Tail**  
**Dragon Rage**  
**Wrap**

**Glacia—|Sneasel| (/cough/ Shiny! /cough/)**

**Blizzard**  
**Hail**  
**Slash**  
**Shadow Claw**


	10. A Bump in the Night

***~~*Chapter Nine: A Bump in the Night: Kotone's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

I started to pull my uniform over my head, but decided to stay in uniform while I slept just in case I was called to train early in the morning. I pulled out my belt of Pokémon with a smile, unclipped the leading capsule and grinned as my Typhlosion emerged in the cramped room.

"Blitz!" He looked at me with a smile as I gave him a hug. "Tomorrow's the day! I'll finally become a member of Team Rocket!" I watched his smile quiver before he curled up at the foot of my bed with a yawn. "It's all thanks to you, Blitz...You impressed the leader of Team Rocket in that battle, you know. I couldn't have done this without you." He gave my knee a pleased lick before drifting off to sleep.

I slowly fell back into the narrow bed with a smile, excited for what lie ahead tomorrow. _I'm going to be mentored by Silver Rocket, leader of Team Rocket himself! I just _know_ that I'll become a great Rocket with his help, I just know it..._ I let out a yawn before curling up into the lumpy mattress, smiling as I drifted off to sleep and dreamed of becoming the greatest member of Team Rocket.

* * *

***~~*Silver's Viewpoint*~~***

_Well, you've managed to survive, Silver._ I let out a sigh as I fell back into my crimson bed and bounced on the soft surface. _Congratulations._ I looked up to find Alonso slipping into the room with a self-satisfied smirk on his face as he padded over to his pile of cushions on the floor.

"I see you've decided to come back, Alonso..." I let the words form as icy daggers at the Classy Cat Pokémon. He just yawned and curled up on a plum cushion.

"Of course, Master. I _do_ sleep here, after all. I trust the female has turned in for the night as well?" I raised an eyebrow at his behavior, but started to crawl up to the head of the bed anyway.

"Of course she has, you furball. Now, shut your mouth and go to sleep." I pulled the blankets up towards my face as I burrowed into the comfortable mattress and let out a quiet sigh. "Don't think I've forgotten your behavior from this morning."

The room fell silent, the only sound coming from the snores of the yellow Pokémon. _Of course you fall asleep, why would you stay awake when I'm scolding you?_ I shook my head and stared at my nightstand, wondering what to start her training with. I found myself slipping into a light sleep as the room turned black.

* * *

I woke with a start at the sound of claws clicking against the hardwood floor. I narrowed my eyes to see a limber form slipping out of my bedroom door and escape into the warm glow of the hallway. _Alonso? At this hour?_ My eyelids drooped as I found my brain unable to function with the groggy fog, forcing me to fall back to sleep.

I jumped awake again as a high-pitched scream met my ears, jolting me fully awake. _That sounded like Kotone!_ I tossed the blankets off hastily and scrambled out the door, silently baffled by the sudden scream. _What's going on?! Is there someone in the base?!_ I burst into the outside hallway to find her door wide open, swaying ominously in the dim light of the lamps. I rushed through the door to stop dead in my tracks.

Kotone was lying on the floor, motionless. Her Typhlosion was out of his Pokéball and pinning a snarling Alonso to the cold tiles with saliva dripping from his barred fangs. _No... He didn't!_ I scrambled to her side just as Alonso managed to burst out of the Volcano Pokemon's grasp and lunged for the girl. I blocked him with my back, making him sheath his claws with a frustrated growl.

"Alonso!" I snapped my head towards him with a scowl, his eyes gleaming in the dark. "What are you doing?!"

"Saving you from making the greatest mistake of your life, Master!" The Typhlosion growled as he tried to grab the Classy Cat Pokémon. Alonso simply leaped out of the way with a snarl. "The minute you finished your training, you took over the organization! Don't you think _she_ might try another coup, thinking she's better than the man who trained her!?" I growled at him as I lifted her limp body into my arms.

"That is a ridiculous excuse, Alonso!" I slowly reached for his Pokéball once again, happy I had retrieved it from the Pokemon's room. "You're simply a jealous creature; you've always been!"

The Classy Cat realized my motivation and rushed for the door, only to find it blocked by the Typhlosion. The Volcano Pokémon let out a furious roar before slashing the smaller Pokémon across the face with his forepaw, drawing blood as the scratches formed on Alonso's face.

He countered with a Psychic attack, making the large Pokémon let out a pained roar. Its crimson eyes snapped open before he let out a powerful Flamethrower, the attack impossible for its opponent to dodge on such short notice. Alonso fell to the floor, fainted by the hit. I seized the opportunity and recalled the traitorous Pokémon with a glare before turning quickly back to the girl in my arms.

_Is...Is she...?_ I found myself letting his Pokéball roll out of my hand and use my right hand to brush her brunette hair aside, searching for Alonso's trademarked neck-bite. I let out a long sigh as I found no signs of injury on her neck. _He didn't...She's still alive; Alonso wouldn't kill a human any other way._

The Typhlosion lumbered over to his master's side with a low rumble, nudging her hand with his muzzle as he lowered himself to the floor. I looked up at him to find his face contorted, almost as if he was in pain. _But...Alonso only hit him once. Why would he still be injured from such a simple attack?_

I was jolted out of my thoughts by a low moan coming from the girl. I snapped my attention back to her as she stirred, her eyes slowly opening with a cringe.

"Kotone!" She let out another moan and slowly sat up, pushing me away weakly. She looked around slowly before looking up at me with clouded eyes. "He's gone now. You can be sure that Alonso _will_ be punished for this. But..." I clenched my fist and narrowed my eyes at her as her Pokémon licked her cheek frantically. "What happened before I got here?"

"...Psy...Psychic..." Her voice was weak as she struggled to stand, falling on her rear just as she lifted herself off of the ground. I shook my head and pulled her up, her Pokémon supporting her from behind.

"Figures, he always wants to attack the mind first. I'm certain he wasn't expecting to find your Typhlosion out at this hour." She shivered and shook her head, the motion clearly painful. I wrapped my left arm around her shoulder blades and started to slowly lead her out of the small room, forgetting Alonso's Pokéball on the floor. "Come along, you need your rest."

She was still out of it when her Pokémon and I slowly lowered her onto the small couch in my bedroom, her eyes still clouded as she looked around the room and analyzed her surroundings. "You can sleep here for now; your room is obviously unsafe at this point. Did you lock the door when you went to bed?" She cocked her head as I spoke, obviously not hearing what I had said. I held back the feelings of anger and shook my head.

"Nevermind. It's unimportant." I pointed to the cream couch and frowned. "You just lay down and get some sleep. I'll be right up here in case you need me." Checking one last time to make sure the door was locked, I crawled back up into my bed and let out another yawn. I watched sleepily as her Pokémon let out a few rumbles before giving her another lick and curling up on the floor as close to the couch as possible. _Why is it acting so strange? Why does it insist on being so close to her?_

I shook the confusion aside and fell back into the bed, falling into a hard sleep quickly.

* * *

**Author's Note: Bah! I forgot the Author's Note! Well, this chapter's a bit of a shocker, no? Just so you know, Alonso is a _very_ bad Persian. In my normal headcanons, he actually hates Silver! /evil laughter/ But for the Rocket!AU, he hates Kotone. I want to thank you all for your support so far, I really enjoy hearing what you guys think of the story! Special shout out to my awesome reviewers, you guys rock!**


	11. Start

***~~*Chapter Ten: Start: Silver's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

My eyes slowly opened as I found the room still dark, a small side-effect from living seventy-five stories underground. I sat up with a yawn and ran a hand through my hair, the headache that always plagued me upon awakening already running its course.

It was then that I heard a low rumble and noticed a red glow coming from the foot of my bed.

I quickly crawled over to the edge to find a Typhlosion curled up at the bottom of my couch, his bright flame exposing the silhouette of a undeniably female figure. I scowled and let out a hiss through my teeth; unlike my father, I never allowed anyone to enter my room without a darn good reason for it.

That was when the events of last night seeped back into my mind. _Alonso. New apprentice. Persian nearly killed her while I slept...darn that cat._ I shook my head with a groan and swung my feet out of bed, allowing them to touch the cold marble with a cringe. I slowly padded over to her side with a frown, my feet sticking to the floor with every step.

The beast snapped his head upwards and started to growl at me with barred fangs. I gave it a hiss and showed my own teeth, unwilling to receive any smack from such a creature. "Silence, beast." It gave me a glare as I stopped beside the couch and pointed to the girl. "Your master is my apprentice, therefore you shall listen to me even above her, capiche?"

"Tyty, phlo sio sion." It gave its head a shake before looking back up at his sleeping trainer and giving her right hand—which was dangling over the edge of the cushion—a wet lap of the tongue. The girl let out a small moan before slowly rising to a sitting position and rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands.

"Ngh..?" I folded my arms across my chest and frowned as she stretched and let out a yawn, taking her sweet time. "Huh?" She looked sleepily down at her Typhlosion with a small smile, the creature looking up at her and wagging the stump of a tail it had with gusto. "Hey, buddy...morning." She reached down and scratched him behind the ear, the beast further wagging with an increased fury. I let out an annoyed groan, snapping her to attention.

"Are you finished with...whatever this is?" Her eyes widened as her Pokémon simply gave me another growl.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" She quickly rose to her feet, stumbling slightly as the blood rushed to her head. "I'm up! I'm awake!" Her eyelids drooped just seconds after her peppy voice finished, showing me that she wasn't the best riser.

_Wonderful, my apprentice is a late sleeper. Well,_ I shook my head and headed towards my closet to grab a clean suit, the location of every piece of furniture memorized as to avoid running into things in the early morning. _I'll be sure to fix that soon enough. _"Head on out to my entryroom; the lights will automatically turn on at five o'clock sharp." I heard a quiet grunt as she most likely nodded. "You'll receive your morning meal a little later. Now, go."

"Yes, Silv—I mean sir! I mean sir!" I let out a growl at her mistake and tightened my grip on the red satin tie I held in my right hand. _You know,_ A familiar voice started to sneak into my mind, the same on that convinced me to take her as my apprentice. _You could always strangle her with this tie here when she slips up like that... Perhaps you should buy her a shock collar and zap her when she doesn't meet expectations..._ I shook my head with a scowl, the idea of a shock collar amusing but not very practical...mostly, anyway. I opened my mouth to tell her to leave when I realized that the light had faded from the room, signaling that they had already left.

_Good._ I rolled my eyes and pulled the tie out of the drawer. _Now I can change out of my robe without an audience._

* * *

I stifled a yawn as I walked into the entryroom, the only light coming from the Typhlosion's flame and a slightly-open front door. My apprentice was seated on the couch, her face lit up by the gentle glow of the fire on her beast's back. _Ah, so I woke up earlier than usual, then. Oh well, all the better to start her training...and beat the morning rush._ I slowly headed towards them with a frown, the Typhlosion still giving me dirty looks from its master's feet.

"The lights are still out..." She looked up for a moment before looking back to me. "What time is it, sir?"

I let out a sigh before reaching into my pocket and pulling out the fine golden pocketwatch I always carried. I glared at the face in the low light, squinting to distinguish the hands in the darkness.

"...About four-thiry in the morning." I slipped it back into my pocket and lifted a hand towards my front door. "C'mon, recall the beast and get a move on!"

She nodded before standing back up and recalling her Pokémon with a sad smile on her face, the gentle light disappearing within the red Pokéball. She then tucked the capsule back on her belt and looked up at me with eager eyes. Satisfied with this, I headed towards the door only for her to let out a small squeak. I let out a groan and turned back to her. "Now what?!"

"What about a shower?" Her voice was hesitant as she took a step forward. "I haven't taken one yet..."

I rolled my eyes and turned back towards the door. "The public showers are on the thirteenth floor. You can go take a quick shower and meet me on the tenth floor to start your training—" I was cut off by a childish gasp.

"EWW! I'm supposed to use a _public shower_?!" I felt my right eye twitch as she went on, "That's so gross! Can't you have a private shower for everyone?!"

I let out a hollow chuckle and waved a hand in the air. "Oh sure! I'll tell the construction crew to get to work on adding hundreds of thousands of showers for the grunts! _Great_ idea, apprentice!" She let out a small rumble before walking past me and pushing the door open with one hand.

"...I'll go use the showers." She let out a sigh before calling the elevator. I smirked in triumph before strutting over to the machine and waiting for it to open. As soon as the metal doors pushed themselves open, I quickly walked inside and pressed our designated floors. The doors shut only seconds after she trudged inside and started the climb with a lurch.

* * *

"Alright, I'm done." I looked up from my stolen Pokédex with a frown to find my apprentice standing before me with a smile, her wet hair falling in sloppy curls around her neck and shoulders. I slipped the dented device into my pocket and let out a sigh.

"Good. Now, let's get you something to eat before you start to complain about a lack of food; I want to get straight to your training today." She gave a happy nod before walking with me down the long hallway, the smile never leaving her face.

_Dang. _I narrowed my eyes and frowned at the tiny grin she had, confusion and curiosity both competing for control of my mind. _How can one person smile so much? It's stinkin' freaky and frankly psychotic or something...It's worse than Proton's freaky grins and his Murkrow-laughs._ I rolled my eyes and stopped abruptly at the cafeteria door, the girl not even realizing she walked past me and her objective.

"_Hello_!" My voice was drenched with sarcasm as I tried to reel her back in. "I didn't realize _you_ were leading _me_ around, apprentice!" She looked over her shoulder with bright cheeks and a nervous grin.

"O-Oh! I'm sorry, sir! I didn't notice that I walked past it..." She childishly walked backwards to meet me at the door, making me frown with the stupidity of her strange behaviors.

"...Good. Now, let's get you fed so you can work." I shoved the door open with my right hand as she braced herself, preparing for the deafening roars she had heard earlier.

But they never came. She opened her eyes to find the room deserted and completely void of human life. I let out a pleased sigh at the sight and walked inside, motioning her to follow. We casually walked up to the empty metal bins and leaned against the shelf, the girl staring into the empty containers with an eyebrow raised. I simply closed my eyes and snapped my fingers.

"Oi! Frederic, get your rear out here!" No sooner had the yell left my mouth than a overly-wide chef sauntered out of the kitchen, swaying back and forth with a spatula in his hands and humming a tune. He twirled to a stop before us and bowed while my apprentice clapped her hands at his over-done performance. I simply rolled my eyes and waited for him to stop messing around.

"Ah!" He looked up at us with shining grey eyes and spoke through his heavy Kalosian accent. "It seems the boss has found a little girlfriend, hmm?" _WH-WHAT?! _I found myself choking on my own spit at his words, making me cough and slam my fist into my chest to find my breath again. He simply laughed and wagged his spatula in the air. "It is about time that you found a nice little girly and relaxed!"

"Oh no!" I looked out of the corner of my eyes to find Kotone lifting her hands up in the air with burning cheeks. "He's my mentor, Mr. Frederic!" Frederic raised his eyebrows in surprise and smiled at her.

"Ah, I see! Well, excuse moi for my mistake!" He let out a heavy sigh before bobbing the utensil again and turning towards me. I finally caught some air and glared up at him with a large frown. "You two are eager for some grub, yes?"

"Of course, Frederic." I stood up straight and fixed my jacket as I went on, "I don't drag my apprentice around for sightseeing, you know."

"Yeah!" She nodded with a beaming smile. "We did that yesterday!" I just groaned and slammed my palm into my forehead. _Is she going to do that every time I talk to someone?!_

He just let out a hearty laugh and shook his head. "Ah, the tour is the easy part of your training, is it not?" She nodded in agreement as I continued to glare at his wrinkled smile. "Well, I'll go whip up a little something for you two and be back faster than you can blink!" With an overly-enthusiastic salute, he spun around and danced his way back into the kitchen. I let out a long sigh before rubbing my temples, hoping that the man wouldn't give me a headache before five in the morning.

"He seems nice." I glanced to my right to see her smiling at me, the pink fading from her face.

I shook my head before straightening my tie. "He's too nice, that's why he's the cook and not a Rocket. Besides," I waved my hand once in the direction of the door. "I didn't hire him from Kalos' greatest bistro to have him mop up the floors."

I snapped back to the door just as he burst through it with a tray of steaming food in his hands. He beamed as he placed it before us, exposing the food to be a pair of fancy Swanna omelets and fresh Payapa berries on the side. Kotone looked at the food with wide eyes as I nodded at the waiting chef.

"...Good choice." I picked the tray up hastily and swung it to the left, her eyes eagerly following the food with a smiling face. "I'll have you know that I expect you to cook that fast every morning."

"Of course, sir!" He once again gave me a salute as I started to walk away. I looked over my shoulder to find him waving at my apprentice with a smile. "Good luck on your training, little Belle!"

"Thank you!" She called back to him over her own shoulder and gave him a long wave. "Thank you for the food!"

I snapped my attention back to the door just in time to see Arianna waltzing through it. I quickly side-stepped out of her way before she could utter a sound, leaving my still-waving apprentice to smack into her. The girl let out a startled grunt as she fell on her rear, then looked up at the redheaded executive and gave her a nod.

"I'm so sorry, Miss Arianna! I wasn't watching were I was going!" _Miss Arianna?_ I scrunched up my nose at the formality. _Pah! That's a waste of breath!_ Arianna laughed and shook her head before gently pulling my apprentice to her feet.

"No, you're fine, little one!" She gave her a beaming grin that made me feel sick to my stomach. "I was just thinking about you two, so it's quite a coincidence meeting you here!" She turned to me with a slight nod of her head before raising an eyebrow at my tray. "Ah, is that your breakfast?"

"Yup!" Kotone beamed as she nodded excitedly. If my hands weren't full with the tray at the moment, I would've slammed my forehead with my palm again. "The kind Mr. Frederic made it for us!" _Ugh, you talk too much!_ I growled and shook my head at her loose tongue. _You'll have to be trained to fix that..._

Arianna's crimson eyes grew wide in surprise as she turned to the shorter girl. "Oh? Is your little mentor actually letting you eat food from _his_ chef?" She bit her lip before looking down at her feet with a overly-dramatic face of sadness. "He won't even let us _executives_ eat food from the great Frederic..."

Kotone tilted her head to the left and frowned. "...Really? I thought he cooked for everyone."

The young woman let out a roar of laughter and shook her head. "Oh no! Our leader sees himself _above_ eating the food the volunteers provide for the rest of us Rockets, so he journeyed to Kalos all alone to find the greatest chef in the business." I closed my eyes just as the memories of the fine region rushed back to me. Beautiful sights, clean streets and exotic Pokémon...it was a hard place to leave. However, the return trip was easier with three new Pokemon for my personal collection and the best chef in the world riding in my jet. _I have to remember to expand the empire to the Kalos region later...it's too peaceful over there._

"His food certainly smells good!" I opened my eyes at my apprentice's higher-pitched voice and frowned. "I just can't wait to try it!"

"Well then," I gave the two females an exaggerated smile as I went on, "Why don't we head back to my office..." I dragged the word on as I raised my voice. "So we can eat!" Kotone gave me a sheepish look and glanced at her boots. Arianna simply let out an annoyed humph.

"Right," My apprentice nodded and took a few steps closer to me, her voice filled with disappointment. "Yes, sir."

Arianna gave her a faked smile and waved as we walked past her and headed out the door. "Good luck on your training, dear! I'm certain you'll have some high expectations to meet being _his_ apprentice!" I looked over my shoulder just in time to catch the jealousy in her eyes, the executives apparently still after my apprentice.

"Thank you, Arianna!" My dense apprentice would never notice something like that.

I just let out a groan and sped up my pace to reach the elevator as soon as possible.

* * *

"Mmm!" I narrowed my eyes at the eating apprentice at my feet, the girl choosing to sit beside my chair with her legs crossed instead of standing around to eat. She gave her food a few more chews before swallowing it with a smile. "Wow! This omelet is amazing!" I just grunted and nodded in agreement.

I pushed my empty plate onto the desk and gave a slight wince at the sound of the fork scraping against my fine china. _Crap, I better not have just scratched off the designs._ I gave the surface a nervous glance to find the traditional art-style Lugia still in one piece. I let out a relieved sigh and shook my head. _Good. I'd be kicking myself in the rear if I ruined yet _another_ plate._

"Are you _done_ yet?" I raised an eyebrow as she continued to munch away. "We have other things to do today!"

She gulped down her food and beamed. "Yup! It's all gone! See?" She held up her now-empty plate and flashed the matching Ho-Oh design quickly before reaching up and placing it on my desk. "I'm ready to go!"

"Finally!" I lifted my hands into the air and let out a short laugh of relief. "Now I can finally start teaching your rear!"

* * *

"Alright then!" My voice boomed inside of the vast space of my personal training room. "You simply stand on your platform and wait for me to activate the programs, alright?"

"Programs?" She cupped her mouth and called out to me across the room, already standing inside of the white box on the metal floor. "What do you mean programs?"

I let a proud smirk come across my face and laughed. _Ah, how I love to show off my little training room!_ Sure, only the executives were allowed in with my permission for their training sessions against me, but I loved to see the looks on their faces when I triggered a new program. Now I have the chance to show the program to a brand-new person. _This will be fun._

"Computer!" I yelled at the ceiling as my apprentice cocked her head. "Activate the enviroment program." The floor suddenly lit up with a gentle blue light, dazzling my apprentice. I simply smirked and waited for the next part.

"Yes, sir." A semi-female voice replied to my demand, bringing up a giant projection of the controls in front of my face. I heard a gasp from the other end of the room as I touched the wheel of pictures that triggered the different atmospheres.

I swiped my index finger across the wheel, making it spin around and cycle through my many collected replicas of battlefields. League battlegrounds, wild surroundings, foreign locals...you name it, I've got it. And if by some odd chance that I _don't_ have it...

I'll be sure to collect it before the next sunrise. I can't _stand_ the idea of someone having more experience than me in battling.

"Ah!" I stopped the wheel just as an image of the Reflection Cave from the Kalos region tried to pass by. "This would be a nice challenge for you." I gave it a sharp jab and smirked wider as it burst into colorful bubbles.

"Reflection Cave selected." The computer voice returned just as my apprentice looked up at the ceiling. "Please hold on to the safety bar as the field rearranges."

"safety bars?!" My apprentice started to look around wildly for any signs of the metal bar that would arrive shortly. "I can't see any safety bars!"

She let out a shocked scream as the desired object sprung out of the floor directly in front of her. I just shook my head as my own bar rose before me. I casually grabbed the blue metal and smirked as she did the same.

"Hang on tight!" I let out a roar of laughter just as the warning buzzer went off signaling that the field was about to change. With a lurch, the platforms we were standing on rose off the ground on metal cranes and started to circle the field, the metal floor sinking into the opening ground. She let out a terrified shriek and gripped the bar tighter than I've seen nervous Petrel _ever_ grab, bending towards the bar and wrapping her arms around it for extra support.

"What's going on?!" She screamed over the sound of metal scraping against stone and closed her eyes. She popped them open again just as our platforms started to increase the speed, now circling the whole room about fifteen times per minute. I let out an admittedly childish whoop and laughed as our platforms were brought closer.

"This is the fun part!" I grinned as panels of bluish rocks sprung out of the ground and scrambled themselves into a random order as to prevent the boulders from being in the same place more than once. "Just hang on and enjoy the ride!"

"Enjoy it?!" She lifted her head up slightly just as the speed increased yet again. "How could anyone enjoy being spun around so much?!"

I just laughed and shook my head. She obviously didn't understand the fun of the change yet. _I'll make sure to make you like this, otherwise it'll be a long apprenticeship!_ I glanced at the walls to find them quickly flipping over to a glass-like surface faster than the panels in Voltorb Flip. I grinned at my swirling reflection and noticed just how pale my apprentice was across from me. I quickly frowned and turned back towards her.

"You better not hurl in here, apprentice! It's extremely hard to clean such complicated technology!" She just groaned and tried to focus her attention on her feet.

By now, the platforms had started to slow down with a decreasing groan. The cranes slowly lowered us back into position just as the final panel locked into place. I released the bar and folded my arms, waiting for my apprentice to ease her grip on the bar.

"Transformation complete." The computer voice yet again called out the status of the program. I just closed my eyes and let out a heavy breath. "Happy battling, sir." The voice then died off, leaving me and my apprentice in a perfect replica of the famous Reflection Cave of Kalos.

I slowly opened my eyes to find the girl snapping her hands open roughly, her hands stuck in a gripping position from holding the bar so tightly. I just rolled my eyes and shook my head. The bars quickly retreated back into their place and left us standing in the fake caverns.

"...Whoa..." She slowly looked around after regaining her composure, an awed look on her face. "This is so beautiful!" Her voice bounced off of the walls as I simply chuckled.

"Ah, so _now_ you like my little training room?" She snapped her head towards me and gave me a frantic nod.

"The swirling part was horrible, but the end is so amazing! Are we _really_ going to battle here?" I gave her a nod and reached for my belt of Pokémon, the black belt containing my six personal favorites.

"Yes, we're going to further test your ability in battling by going against my top six. You shall use your own main team for now; the other one can be tested after them." She gave me a nod and reached for her own belt.

I unclipped a personal favorite and smirked as she most likely unclipped her Typhlosion. _This will be a fun match to watch, despite the type match-up..._ I then threw the capsule into the air the moment she did the same.

"Battle...begin!"

* * *

**Author's Note: AFAFNALGHSAHFAS I've spoiled you guys with this series. I've almost posted all of the chapters I have written and I prefer to have at ****_least_**** a chapter left on hand. Frederic is a fun guy, even though he's basically the French Chef cliché. "orz Next chapter, we're going to see some real action! It'll also be a bit longer...so be prepared. I really like the high-tech Rocket Base idea instead of an old warehouse or under a casino... /cough/ So his Training Room is supposed to be really high-tech. And when I said "cranes" I meant the long neck part of the machine. Oh, and as for his Pokédex...He stole it from Calem. :D He's such a stinker, huh?**


	12. A Clash to Remember

***~~*Chapter Eleven: A Clash to Remember: Silver's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

The two Pokéballs burst open into two separate beams of red light, signaling that the battle had begun. I held out my left hand to grab the empty capsule just as it flew back into my hand. I felt a smirk grow on my face as my trusted Sneasel materialized onto the battlefield. I then looked over to her side to find that our opponent _wasn't_ her Typhlosion.

Instead, a short Pokémon with brown spikes on its back stood on her end with a proud grin on its face. The long claws that the species was famous for were incredibly sharp and longer than my previous encounters with the Mouse Pokémon.

"Ah, so you're going to use your Sandslash first?" I raised an eyebrow as my Sneasel folded his arms against his chest. "Interesting...I must say that I assumed your Typhlosion would be first."

"Nope!" She gave me a proud smile and shook her head. "Dune here is going to start the match!"

_Ugh...Nicknames are so stupid I swear..._ I frowned as the creature smiled and flexed his claws. Sneasel suddenly flexed his own and grinned at his opponent.

I slowly lifted my right hand and waved her off. "Go on, I'll let you have the first move." _After all,_ I smirked as she nodded. _I can figure out what strategy to use when you go first._

"Dune! Let's start this off with an Earthquake!" She pointed straight at my Sneasel as my eyes grew wide.

"E-Earthquake?!" The Sandslash suddenly slammed his foot into the ground as it started to tremble and shake the floor of the stadium. I winced as a large boulder slammed into Sneasel's right side. My Pokémon flew into the air before crashing to the ground in a cloud of dust. I shook my head and fixed my bangs nervously.

"Sneasel! Get your butt out of that crater and counter with an Ice Beam!" Sneasel pushed himself off the ground with a sharp cry and raced back to the middle of the field while readying his move in his mouth. As soon as it neared the target, Sneasel leaped into the air and let loose a icicle arrow.

"Dodge it, Dune!" She motioned for it to dodge to the left, but the move connected before the beast had a chance to follow orders. It let out a pained cry from the effects of the type match-up before staggering to his full height with narrowed eyes.

"Dune! Let's show them your cannon!" She smirked and pointed skyward as the Pokémon suddenly burrowed underground. Sneasel shifted anxiously and looked back towards me with a nervous expression.

"Don't just stand there!" I swatted the air and glared at my Pokémon. "Move around to prevent it from getting a lock on your location!" It gave me a nod before racing around the field, changing direction every time a hole started to form beneath his feet. I looked up at my apprentice to find her perfectly calm, as if her plan wasn't backfiring in her face.

...Which means it's not. I drew a sharp breath just as a spiked ball burst out of one of the holes in the ground and smashed into Sneasel's back. The Ice-Dark Type let out a shocked yip and smashed into a boulder. It slowly peeled away from the rock with ragged breaths as the Sandslash retreated back into his underground hideaway.

_Crap! This girl certainly knows how to use her environment to her advantage! Even with Sneasel's superior type, the Sandslash is still whooping his pathetic rear!_ I let out a frustrated growl and straightened my jacket before snapping my attention back to the field.

"Sneasel! Hail, let's move it!" It nodded before opening his mouth and releasing a swirl of snow. Suddenly, the whole room was caught in an intense blizzard, blocking the girl from my sight. I smirked as Sneasel disappeared from my sights. _Ah, now the little booger has the hail to worry about!_ "Show no mercy out there!" I heard a sharp cry of confirmation before the sound of shifting earth met my ears.

"Dune, watch out!" Her voice sounded a tad muffled through the swirling winds as she started to show a bit of panic in her voice. I laughed and shook my head.

The sounds of Sandslash's howl met my ears before the snow suddenly disappeared from the field. In the middle of the rocks was a small brown body.

Sneasel had won the match.

The girl raced to her Pokemon's side and gave it a few murmurs of reassurance before recalling it with a weak smile. _One down, five to go._ She looked up to my Sneasel and gave him a quick smile before calmly walking back to her square.

"Alright, now it's time for a little buddy of mine to take the stage!" She hurled the next capsule into the air and grinned as it released her next Pokémon.

Out came a brown lump of fur with a beaming grin, the short Pokémon bouncing around with energy. I made a confused face just as Sneasel turned around and did the same.

"Alright Rawst, it's all you baby!" She gave the little runt a thumbs up and a smile, making the creature let out an excited bark.

"...An Eevee..?" I shook my head and tried to keep myself from laughing. "This will be short."

"Rawst, smack him with a Covet!" The brown runt suddenly became a brown blur on the field as it raced towards Sneasel and spun around the confused Sharp Claw Pokémon. Sneasel opened his mouth just as the Evolution Pokémon slammed into its back and shoved him to the floor. I winced as it then happily bounced off of Sneasel's head and raced back to her side of the field.

My mouth fell open slightly as Sneasel struggled to his feet. "...That thing...is a stinkin' speed demon." _Well,_ I gulped down the feelings of awe and straightened my jacket yet again. _Two can play that game._

"Sneasel! Get up and use Beat Up!" It let out a roar before launching himself at the lump of fur with glowing claws. The Eevee let out a squeak of pain just as my Sneasel slammed him with borrowed power from each member of my team. The Eevee was launched away upon the impact of the last strike, sending him crashing into a nearby boulder.

"Rawst!" She lunged forward and shook her head, scattering her now-dry hair around her face. "Baby, are you alright?!"

The Eevee pulled away from the rock and hopped to the floor before turning towards her. "Vee Vee! Ee vee!"

The girl instantly relaxed and nodded. "That's a relief; that Sneasel is a tough one!" Sneasel shook its head proudly at her words as I raised an eyebrow at the fact that she was having a conversation with her _Eevee_. "We'll have to hit him hard, baby!"

The Eevee nodded and shook out its neck ruff with a roar. I snapped back to attention just as she pointed to my Sneasel. "Rawst, Trump Card that sucker!"

"Vee!" The Eevee seemed to grin deviously at her words as it raced up the back of a smooth boulder and launched itself off of the rock. Eevee then spun in the air and launched card-like projectiles from its mouth. Sneasel let out a pained roar as the cards trapped it inside of a moving turbine.

"Weavlie! Pull yourself together and use Blizzard!" Sneasel rolled of the cards and gave a nod before opening his mouth and letting loose a swirl of snow.

"Rawst! Get underground!" _Wait, what?!_ The Pokémon nodded before diving into a hole the previous opponent had made just seconds before the blizzard hit the Eevee. She then let out a whoop and punched the air. "Good job, baby!"

"You've gotta be kidding me..." I shook my head and tried to remain calm. "Sneasel, don't let it get away!" The Pokémon nodded and dived into a nearby hole, racing after the smaller Pokémon with a roar.

The snow faded away as the only sounds that met our ears were the sounds of scrambling feet. I held my breath and searched each hole, waiting for one of the Pokémon to burst out of an opening.

A sudden cry filled the room as a brown lump flew out of a hole in the center of the room. Sneasel burst out after it with a visible lump of fur in his claws. My apprentice let out a shocked squeak as her Eevee hit another boulder and fell to the floor.

I watched the lump patiently, waiting to see if it would move. _...Is...Is it..?_

The lump slowly rose to its paws with shaking limbs and a downward face. "Rawst!" She immediately perked up and beamed at the surprisingly tough runt. "Are you alright?"

"...Vee..." It let out the cry through raggad breaths just as Sneasel seemed to lose its footing. I snapped my attention to the Sharp Claw Pokémon to find it kneeling on the floor and panting. _Crap, Sneasel's taken a lot of damage. I'll end up losing if I can't even beat a stupid runt like that._

"Sneasel, finish it off with an Ice Beam!" Sneasel rose to its feet and readied the attack.

"Rawst, Baton Pass, baby!" The girl pointed to the air and smirked at her surprise move.

"WHAT?!" The Pokémon laughed and suddenly did a backflip, retreating before its paws touched the floor. "That stupid little—!"

"Heh, sorry sir!" She cocked her head and pulled off a different Pokéball. "Rawst isn't just a little show-off, he's a team player!" She flung the capsule into the air and beamed as a tall pink beast with a strange thing on his head appeared on the field.

"...Ah, that's her Slowking." I muttered the confirmation to myself as Sneasel let loose his blast on the pink beast.

The Slowking took the hit as if it was simply a brush against a cotton cloth, standing there with a superior smirk on his face. "Go get 'em, Sheldon!"

"Of course, Miss Kotone." I cringed as the Pokémon used its psychic abilities to converse with the girl in a male voice. _That's the exact reason I don't give the grunts Psychic types, they'd never shut up._

"Sheldon, hit 'em with your Hydro Pump!" My eyes widened as the Pokémon nodded and let water rush to its jaws.

"Get out of the way, Sneasel!" I swiped the air as it struggled to its feet.

But Sneasel wasn't fast enough.

The water slammed into its chest and pushed the Sharp Claw Pokémon into a glass-like wall of the room, breaking some of the surface and letting small chips fall to the floor like confetti. As the water receded, I found my Sneasel motionless on the floor, K.O'ed by the attack. I growled and shook my head.

"Woo!" She however jumped into the air and pumped a fist upwards. "Go, Sheldon!"

The Pokémon laughed and took a short bow. "Thank you, Miss Kotone. I try my best." I shook my head again and recalled my fallen Sneasel. _Oh wonderful, it's smug._

"Alright," She straightened her pose and brushed off invisible grains of dust from her Rocket uniform. "You just got a tad lucky, that's all. You'll never beat my next Pokémon." I then tossed out my next weapon and let it materialize before her pink creature.

Out burst my Magneton with a clank of metal, eager to jolt this thing into next week. She let out a shocked squeak before cocking her head.

"An Electric type? Aw man, that's stacking the deck against us, huh Sheldon?"

The pink Pokémon nodded and let out a sigh. "Ah, a Magneton. Just our luck that we meet another one, my dear. Well, I'll do my best!" He then fixed his frill before giving Magneton a determined glare.

_Alright, having a conversation with her Pokémon was pretty creepy before, but now this one's actually talking back?! Am I still dreaming?_ I let out a sigh before regaining my composure and pointing to the opponent.

"Magneton, you jolt this thing with a Thunderbolt!" It let out another metallic sound and pointed its magnets straight at the Water-Psychic Type. The Royal Pokémon let out a growl before narrowing his eyes back at his opponent. The electricity practically jumped out of the poles of its magnets and raced towards the Slowking that continued to stand there.

"Send it right back!" I looked at my apprentice to find her with a smile on her face. The Slowking nodded before closing his eyes. Just moments before the move connected, he opened them with a burst of blue light. Suddenly, the bolts raced straight back to Magneton and hit it square in its magnets. It let out a shocked screech as the electricity surged through its body.

I clicked my tongue and shook my head. "Oo, bad choice, girly." Magneton's eyes popped back open as even stronger bolts launched back towards the Slowking.

"Ack! Closed circuits, my dear!" It attempted to dodge the attack but fell short by a few inches, the move connected with his right leg instead. It let out a low scream and fell to the floor.

"Sheldon! Are you alright, buddy?" She leaned forward with a frown. I just smirked and nodded, satisfied with Magneton's redirect of the move. "I'm so sorry! I didn't realize it could send it back!"

The Slowking weakly lifted its head and groaned. "...It's not your fault, my dear. You didn't know..." It let out a weak groan before letting his head fall to the floor.

The Slowking was unable to battle.

"Ah..." I smirked again as she recalled the Pokémon and rubbed its capsule gently. "Two down, four to go." Strains of 'good jobs' and 'you did wonderfully' met my ears as she rubbed the device against her cheek. I scrunched up my nose at the sickening sight and waited for her to quit with the junk and release her next Pokémon.

"Alright...It's go time!" She tossed out another Pokéball and let it burst open with a smirk.

Out came a familiar navy blue and yellow beast with a roar, the flames on his neck bursting with eager energy. _Ah, so she's going to use a type advantage? Well, we'll see just how well that plays out._

"Blitz! Smack that sucker good, buddy!" It turned back and nodded to her before returning his attention back to my end of the field with a growl.

"Magneton! Use Flash Cannon!" The Magneton let out another metallic screech before readying the move.

"Oh, no you don't!" She narrowed her eyes and pointed to the Magneton. "Blitz, roast him with your Flamethrower!" It let out a roar and quickly did as it was told.

The move collided with the Metal-Electric Type before the Flash Cannon could be launched, making my Pokémon take the full damage of the fire. I winced as it fell to the ground with a low cry. Magneton was out.

Well, that was fast. _A...A one hit K.O? Even with the type advantage..._ I shook my head slowly and ran a hand through my hair with a cringe. _Crap. That beast is stronger than I thought._

I recalled Magneton with a frown and reached for something that might be able to take it out. I wasn't using my secret weapon just yet; I didn't want to look like I had to rely on a type advantage.

I tossed my next Pokémon out with a frown. Out flapped my Golbat with a shriek, eager for battle.

"Oh, a Golbat." Her voice sounded...unimpressed.

And boy, did that tick me off.

"Don't underestimate my Pokémon, you pest!" I let out a growl and pointed to her behemoth. "Golbat, Poison Fang!" The beast nodded and fluttered over to the hulking monster with a roar.

"Blitz, don't let him bite you!" The Typhlosion let out a roar, turned tail and dashed on four legs back towards its trainer. Golbat simply followed it with a shriek. "Blitz, hide underground!" She pointed to the nearby opening with a frantic energy and the beast dove in the small space without hesitation. Golbat stopped before the hole with a confused look. I let out a groan and slammed my palm into my face.

"Idiot! Use your echolocation to track him down there and follow him!" It then swooped in with a shriek to engage in the chase.

The sounds of scraping dirt and the occasional shriek seeped out of the network of tunnels every once in a while to show that they were still engaged in a heated chase below our feet. _Man, thank Mew that the machinery is seven feet below this floor. I'm pretty sure that the Sandslash didn't tunnel that deep._

I was startled out of my thoughts when the Typhlosion let out a pained howl and burst out of the hole closest to me, the beast so close that its flames shot burning heat at my face. Golbat flew out seconds later with a screech of triumph.

"Blitz! Baby, are you O.K?!" My apprentice took a step closer to her beast as it raced back to his own end on the field. It seemed to give her a nod before falling to all fours with a low roar. It lifted up its head to glare at me.

That was when I realized the creature had a flushed face with sweat dripping down its cheeks.

Golbat had poisoned the beast.

_Ah, good! _"Golbat, Air Cutter again!" The Poison-Flying Type nodded and slashed the air with its wings.

"Blitz baby! Dodge it and use Swift! The Typhlosion tried to follow orders, but found the poison slowing him down. I smirked as the Air Cutter connected.

"Blitz! Swift baby! C'mon, you can do this!" It let out a gurgled roar before launching the attack directly at my Golbat. It let out a shocked screech before fluttering out of the way of further attacks.

"Blitz! Baby, roast him!" The Volcano Pokémon let out a roar before releasing the flames from his mouth. Golbat took a direct hit before falling to the floor with a shreik.

And yet another Pokémon fell to this nightmare of a monster. On one hand, I'm glad that it's now on Team Rocket's side...but on the other...

_STOP ROASTING MY POK__éMON, YOU PATHEDIC TWIT!_ I had to bite down on my lip to prevent myself from yelling and screaming at her for somehow knocking out half of my team. I growled louder as I pulled out my secret weapon.

I no longer _cared_ about seeing how she battled each of my Pokémon. All that was on my mind was smacking this flaming-necked Ursaring out of here.

I hurled the Pokéball quickly and grinned as the powerful beast of blue scales thundered onto the field. I closed my eyes and smirked as my Feraligatr let out a roar. _Feraligatr, my first theft. Ah, it will surely drench that beast._ I opened my eyes to find both the Typhlosion and the girl with wide eyes.

"You mean..._you_ were the one who stole the Totodile from Professor Elm?" I detected a faint trace of awe as she shook her head. _Ah, that's right. These two are both from New Bark Town. ...How long has it been since I stole it? ...Hmm, perhaps around seven or eight years ago? I'm surprised that she remembers it after so long._

"Of course, idiot! How else do you think I got my hands on such a powerful Pokémon?" I crossed my arms and gave my beast a proud smirk. _Best decision I ever made was stealing the Totodile. It's beaten in plenty of faces and become quite the powerhouse._

"Phlo ro?" The Typhlosion took a cautious step towards my Feraligatr with narrowed eyes. "Ty phlo pho ro?"

Feraligatr seemed to shift anxiously as its tail swished a few times. "Fer fer! Gatr fer!"

The Typhlosion's face lifted as it seemed to smile at the beast. "Phlo ro!"

I growled before unfolding my arms and snapping my fingers. "Hey! We're in the middle of a battle, nitwit! Act like it!" Feraligatr jumped at my voice but prepared for battle. The Typhlosion's strange grin faded as it whimpered.

"Feraligatr, Hydro Pump!" The Big Jaw Pokémon hesitated for a heartbeat before releasing a powerful blast of water.

"D-Dodge it, Blitz!" My apprentice swatted the air, motioning for it to leap to the left.

But the beast stood rooted to the spot and took the hit without a flinch. The water carried him to the far wall, allowing it to slam into the reflective surface just as my Sneasel did. It slumped to the floor and stayed down.

_I...I knocked it out? But it didn't even try to dodge!_ I shook my head with disbelief as she raced to her Pokemon's side with a shout.

"Blitz, are you alright?! Baby, speak to me!" She quickly wrapped her arms around its wet neck and buried her face in the soaked fur. It slowly lifted its head and licked her hat with a rumble. "Baby! ...I...understand why you didn't listen..." She slowly pulled out its Pokéball and recalled the beast. I cocked my head as she seemed to whisper something to the beast.

"Are you finished with that?" I returned to a harsh glare when she started to trudge back into the square.

"...Yes. I'm ready now." She then tossed another Pokéball with a grunt and I prepared to face the last half of her team.

The stakes were raised now; we were both down to only three Pokémon and my only advantages were knowing my opponents could be a Sneasel, a Togechic, a Dratini, an Ampharos or her already weakened Eevee. My second advantage was the fact that the previously-mentioned Eevee was probably on its last legs.

_I'm not going to lose to my apprentice. There's no way I'll sink so low._

Out popped a fluttering white beast with a small squeak. I cringed as the disgustingly-happy creature gave its trainer a nuzzle before fluttering back onto the field. _Oh wonderful, it's the Togechic. Bleh!_

"Feraligatr, finish this quickly with a Crunch!" My Pokémon let out a roar and lunged for the fluttering beast.

"Ack, no! Dodge it and use Acrobatics, Joy!" But her Pokémon was too slow to dodge my beast. It let out a squeak and fainted instantly. She let out a gasp before recalling her Pokémon with a frown.

"I'm so sorry, baby...It's not your fault...it's mine." She shook her head sadly before returning the ball to her waist and unclipping her next Pokémon.

Her next Pokémon let out a happy yip as the short stature of a Sneasel appeared on the field, this one having a smaller feather on its head than my Sneasel had. But, this one was far different than _my_ Sneasel.

This one was stinkin' _pink_.

"Your Sneasel is a shiny!?" I found my mouth falling open as her Pokémon let out a haughty humph.

"Yup. Glacia's a little different than other Sneasels, but I don't see it as such a big deal." She simply shrugged off my surprise and pointed to my Feraligatr.

"Glacia! Use Slash!" I shook my head to snap back to attention.

"Feraligatr, use Aqua Tail!" It let out a roar before turning around and smacking the opponent back to its own side of the field with a slap of the tail. The Sneasel let out a squeak before tumbling head-over-feet repeatedly and skidding before its trainer.

"Glacia! Are you alright, darling?" It slowly rose to its feet on wobbling limbs and nodded. The girl let out a sigh of relief before narrowing her eyes into a look of determination. "Alright, hit that thing with a Blizzard!"

It gave her a nod before launching a slightly-weaker Blizzard than what I would expect from the beast, the cold ice slamming into Feraligatr with decent force. Feraligatr hardly moved. It just stood there and gave the smaller Pokémon a toothy grin.

"What?!" My apprentice seemed horrified by the turn of events. "But Glacia's Blizzard always works!"

"Not against a walking tank like my Feraligatr." I snapped my fingers and smirked at her terrified expression, loving how the battle was turning around for me. "Feraligatr, use Crunch." It lunged forward and grabbed the creature before it could escape, the girl letting out a horrified gasp.

With one move, it was over. Feraligatr released the fainted Pokémon and shook his head slowly. I just let out a chuckle as she recalled her Sneasel and gave it the same 'good job' and 'you did your best' as all of her other Pokémon received.

"So, who's left?" I cocked my head in faked questioning as a smirk grew on my face. "Send out your last Pokémon, apprentice." She gave a sad nod and pulled out her Eevee's Pokéball. She gave it a weak toss and gave it a hard stare.

"Rawst, darling. Just know that I'll be proud of you no matter what happens in this battle." It turned to her and nodded with understanding before turning quickly back to Feraligatr and giving it a snarl.

"Trump Card!"

"Hydro Pump!" Our voices combined in the air as our Pokémon quickly followed commands. Six card-like projectiles collided with a powerful blast of water. The cards were easily knocked away before the move collided with the Eevee. The small Pokémon was easily swept away with the water, smacking into the wall with a gurgled squeak.

"Rawst!" She quickly raced to her Pokemon's side as Feraligatr solemnly lumbered to mine. I held out my hand and let it place the top of its head in my palm as we both watched the girl cradle the Eevee.

"...We're done here, Feraligatr." I pulled out his Pokéball and recalled the beast with a nod before tucking the device back at the head of my belt. I then slowly walked across the long field, casually avoiding the gaping holes in the blue-ish rock.

"...Now I see why people fear you, sir." She slowly looked up to me with a mix of disappointment, awe and fear in her eyes. I simply folded my arms and raised an eyebrow. "...You...You battle like something I've never seen before. I've..." She looked down at the soaked Eevee and stroked its fur gently with a sad smile. "I've never lost before our battle."

"...Is that so?" I lifted my head slightly before sticking my hands in my pockets. "Well, recall the Eevee and follow me to my healing equipment. We still have work to do." She nodded and recalled the lump of fur, exposing her soaked hands to my sight. It was then that I noticed a slight cut on her left thumb. I frowned and shook my head at the small strip of blood.

"Ugh...are you _always_ going to injure yourself after a battle?!" She looked up at my with a confused look and shook her head. I pointed to the cut and scowled.

"You won't last long as my apprentice if you keep getting cuts and bites, you know. I can't have my apprentice bleeding to death before I'm done training her!" She gave me a nervous smile and rose to her feet.

"I honestly didn't realize it, sir. I'll be fine." I just rolled my eyes and gave her a push towards the door.

"Exit the room. Go on," I gave her another push when she seemed to let out a giggle. "Go!"

As soon as we left the room, the field quickly reverted back to its normal form. I smirked and shook my head before heading towards my personal storage room.

* * *

**Author's Note: It is _finished_! This monster of a chapter is a pretty intense battle and the longest battle I've ever written so far. So, Kotone seems to have lost to Silver in this match...it's probably for the best, Silver doesn't react well to losing... /shudders/ So, how did I do on this battle? I tried to make it like the games—one hit and type advantages—but also include things from the anime—using your surroundings and spicing up the battle moves. I'm pretty proud of this battle, but it was a _pain_ to write, proofread and edit. **

**I referenced a type match-up chart for some of these battles—alright, just the one between Dune and Sneasel—since I sometimes switch around what Ice is super-effective against with its weaknesses...Yeah, my poor Glaceon knows just how horrible that can be when I send him out against a stupid Steel-Type bulldozer and just cheer him on as if I'm stupid...  
**

**Back to the story. I'd like to take a moment and thank all of the wonderful people who have added this to their favorites, their watch list and who have left a review for me! It really makes my day to see you guys enjoying this series! Don't worry, _The Pains of Being in Charge_ will be around for a while!**


	13. Field Day

***~~*Chapter Twelve: Field Day: Kotone's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

_Wow...I...I lost? _My failure to beat someone for the first time seemed to make my head spin. _I lost. He won. I lost. ...I...I lost._ I hated every second after the Feraligatr was released. Blitz had refused to attack his old friend, even though he hadn't seen the Pokémon since it was a baby Totodile eight long years ago. Blitz had always talked about how they used to do everything together; chase Rattatas outside the lab, stay up all night to explore the laboratory...they even shared their Pokéfood with each other.

Losing to someone felt horrible, like I really _was_ just a worthless runt like everyone thought. Like I failed my beloved team. It was as if I wasted all of their energy on a pointless exercise. My stomach churned with anxious energy as I numbly stumbled after my proud mentor.

_But...if he's that good at battling..._ I looked up from my wet boots to stare at the back of his head. _Will he teach me to be that good?_ I narrowed my eyes as he pressed his thumb to the scanner and entered a few numbers shortly after.

"C'mon, apprentice." His voice jolted me out of my thoughts as he turned to look over his shoulder. "Stop standing around and staring!"

"Yes sir." I managed to mumble out the words and walked in before him, leaving Silver to raise an eyebrow before shaking his head and walking in behind me.

I looked up from the marble floor to find the room covered with glass display cases that held countless Pokémon inside of their shining grasp. I slowly looked around to find that some of the Pokéballs sat on purple cushions. I assumed those must be his favored Pokémon and left it at that. A small flame of awe lit inside of me at the thoughts of all the Pokémon that might be in here.

"Are you done gawking, apprentice?" I flinched as Silver brushed against me as he walked past. I looked up to find him giving me an amused smirk. "I understand that it's quite a lot of Pokémon, but you can't stand around like a corpse."

"...I'm going to have to clean every single one of these cases later, aren't I?" His eyes grew wide for a moment before he let out a roar of laughter. He shook his head between laughs and motioned for me to follow him.

I slowly headed beside him and looked up with a confused look. He slowly returned to his normal and stoic face as I stopped beside him. "Eventually, yes. But today, you'll be training. You can save the cleaning for the end of the week." I gave a nod and watched as he placed a hand on the wall.

Suddenly, a door slid into view from behind a fake panel, showing that this room was also high-tech. I felt my mouth open slightly as he pulled out a card from his pocket and swiped it in the doorjam. It let out a short click before popping open. He slowly walked into the room and motioned me to follow.

We seemed to be in a pitch-black room, the only light coming from the previous room of glass displays. Silver clapped his hands and the lights suddenly blinded me. I shielded my eyes for a second before cautiously lowering my hand.

Inside this room of white tiled floors and walls was just a huge machine connected to various monitors and metal cords thicker than my arm. I cocked my head as I compared it to the small machines Nurse Joy used.

"It's so huge..." My voice wasn't echoed as much as it was in previous rooms, leaving me to believe there must be something absorbing the sound in the tiles.

Silver let out a grunt of confirmation and nodded. "It's a bit more complex than the pink-haired ditz's machinery, so don't be pressing random buttons to see what they do."

I let out a huff of protest, making him turn to me with a raised eyebrow. I then folded my arms and frowned. "What do I look like? Some five year old?!"

His eyes grew wide before he let out a short laugh. "Where'd the spunk come from?!" He shook his head with a quick smile before extending his right hand towards me. "Hand me your Pokémon and I'll heal them up with mine." I let out a short sigh and unclipped my belt, holding up the oddly-unfitting skirt with my other hand. He gave me a confused look before shaking his head and snatching my belt.

He then unclipped both his own Pokémon and mine and placed them on the machine. Each time he placed a Pokéball in one of the dips on the metal surface, the image of the Pokémon flashed on the screen. I watched each of my team flash on the screen with interest, the last one being my Ampharos June. Silver slowly turned to me and frowned.

"Why didn't you use your Ampharos on my Feraligatr? You might have taken him out if you had." I felt my eyes widen at his words. I quickly turned away and frowned.

"...I couldn't think straight under the pressure. I was losing for the first time and all I could think of was the fact that I was losing to you, sir." I let out a sigh and shook my head. "I'm usually not so scatterbrained."

I turned back to find him returning to placing his team on the machine, the monitor flashing his Golbat, Sneasel, Magneton, Feraligatr, Haunter and a Kadabra. He then pressed a white button below the shelf and watched on as a glass dome encased the Pokéballs. The machine then glowed brightly with a harsh white before it gave a whir and dimmed. I blinked a few times as little rainbow dots clouded my vision.

"There. That ought to do it." He then pressed an adjacent grey button and the glass dome opened with a whoosh. Silver then took all of my Pokémon and attached them back on my belt before thrusting the white strip into my hand.

"...Does it really fit you _that_ bad?" He raised an eyebrow as I tried to slip the belt in the loops without my skirt falling to my boots.

"The waist is too big on me and my top squeezes me to death, so yeah." I let out a growl as I nearly lost my grip on my bottoms.

I looked up to find him rolling his eyes and grabbing his own Pokémon. "...You're obviously a smaller build than most Rockets. That top is some grunt's shrunken laundry and the skirt's the smallest we have. You need to seriously gain some weight or something."

I let out an indignant puff and glared at my mentor's back. "I do not!" I quickly shut my mouth with a frown, realizing I had grown too casual with him. I shook my head and returned to relooping my belt.

* * *

"You'll now move on to testing your _personal_ abilities on the track." Silver gave me a hard glare as we walked down the endless hallway of the tenth floor. "You'll be able to test the remaining two Pokémon of yours tomorrow. Right now, I want to see what _you_ can do." I nodded just as he stopped at the track's door. With a thumbscan and a grunt, we entered the room.

It actually took a while to make it down the cobblestone path to the track, Silver practically shoving anyone who walked too close to him or stood in front of him for any period of time. We both stopped beside a blue bench just as a familiar woman came bounding over with a smile.

"Miss Arianna!" I gave her a wave as Silver slammed a palm into his face. "It's so good to see you again today!"

She let out a short laugh before fighting for her breath. "It's good to see you too, apprentice!" Silver let a growl at her words but let her continue, "I was just starting to practice my hurdle jumping!"

Silver suddenly stepped forward and held out his right hand to Arianna. I cocked my head as the redheaded woman pressed her lips together tightly. "Hand over your perfume, Arianna."

"...My...my perfume?" _Her perfume?_ We both seemed to question his words at the same moment, mine never leaving my head while hers were spoken as a breathless murmur. Silver let out a grunt and shoved his hand closer with a scowl. Finally, Arianna sighed and pulled a small perfume bottle out of her back pocket.

Silver snatched it out of her hand and turned towards me quickly. He suddenly squirted the pink spray on me heavily, making me cough as the aroma of roses overwhelmed me. _EEUUGH!_ I swatted the air in front of my face just as he shoved the bottle into the horrified woman's hand.

"There. Now get on the track." He sharply pointed to the nearby lane with a frown, leaving me walking over to it with a confused look on my face. _Why did he squirt me with her perfume?_ Silver took a step toward me and slammed his foot on a metallic plate on the floor. Suddenly, hurdles jumped out of the ground before me. I felt my eyes grow wide as I recalled how the hurdles seemed to magically pop out of the ground. _Oh, so _that's_ how it works!_

"You'll start running on my orders, got it?" I turned to find him with two Pokéballs in his hands. I nodded and turned towards the first hurdle.

"Three...Two...One..."

"Start!" I dashed off just seconds after the words met the air, racing towards the first hurdle with a determined glare.

* * *

***~~*Silver's Viewpoint*~~***

"Sir," I turned my attention to Arianna as she watched my apprentice take off down the lane, narrowly jumping over the first obstacle. "You're not actually planning on using the Growlithe, are you?"

I gave her a glare and a grunt. "Of course I am, you idiot! Just because she's my apprentice, doesn't mean she gets special treatment!" I then hurled the devices into the air with a smirk, eager to see how she would do against the standard two Growlithe.

The two beast leaped out of their capsules and immediately lunged for me, recognizing the individual who had stolen them from their police station in Cinnabar Island a few days before the volcano erupted. I just smirked as I pulled a small squirt bottle from my back pocket. _Not this time, runts._

The beasts flinched as I put a finger on the trigger, recalling the countless times I had disciplined them for attacking me. I then pointed to my running apprentice as Arianna looked away. "Go get her."

The beasts stuck their noses in the air and immediately revolted at the scent of Arianna's harsh perfume. They started to bark incessantly and dash after the girl with amazing speed, jumping over hurdles with ease.

"Let's see how long she can evade them, shall we?" I pulled out my pocketwatch and glanced from the clock face to the oblivious girl, timing just how long she lasted in such a pursuit.

_If her reflexes are anything like they were with the Houndoom, she won't make it to the tenth hurdle._

After a few minutes, she looked over her shoulder to find the Growlithe right on her tail and racing to catch her. She let out a shocked scream just as she reached the seventh hurdle and tried to increase her pace to escape them. The slightly-larger one—who happened to have a scar across his right eye from my Feraligatr—suddenly lunged for her, grabbing a sizable amount of the grey fabric of her skirt and pulling her to the ground. She screamed once again and tried to shove them away only for the beast to rip off that section of the uniform with a rough yank.

"Get away from me!" She yelled at the beast with a frantic swipe, still trying to escape them as they jumped on her. "Leave me alone!"

_Just as I expected._ I shook my head and slipped the pocketwatch back into my pocket as soon as it hit five minutes. _She never made it to the tenth hurdle._ I rolled my eyes and headed towards the girl just as Arianna found some excuse to leave the room. _I knew that she was going to fail this, the new recruits always do._

I let out a growl just as I stopped beside the two Pokémon and pulled out the squirt bottle I had threatened them with earlier. I pulled the trigger quickly on them, earning a painful howl and terrified whimpers as they scurried away from the girl. I then glared at my apprentice as she cowered on the ground, butt in the air and hands covering her neck.

It was then that my attention flashed to the generous rip in her uniform, the girl unknowingly flashing me with her lacy undergarment yet again. I looked up to the ceiling and pulled off my jacket, tossing it at her with a grunt. She let out a small squeak before scurrying to her feet, clutching the jacket tightly to her chest.

"...Tie that thing around your waist before one of the more perverted grunts find you. You're being indecent." I looked back to find her cheeks bright red as she quickly tied my offered jacket around her waist, covering the exposed section with nimble fingers.

"...T-Thank you sir. I-I'm so sorry I—!"

I waved her off before returning the still cowering beasts back into their Pokéballs. "Silence yourself before _I_ silence you. You've been far too free with your speech today and I'm _this_ close to punishing you for your behavior." I held up two fingers and squished them close to each other to demonstrate how thin the tightrope she was walking on was.

She gulped before giving me a frantic nod and stood up straight, diverting her eyes to her scuffed boots as I let out a sigh. I walked towards her and gave her a shove. "C'mon, it's idiotic to make you continue training in such clothes. You head back to my office while I go talk to Grunt Resources down on the thirtieth floor." She gave me another nod and dashed away, making sure that the jacket didn't come undone.

_Ugh._ I put a hand up to one of my temples and rubbed it gingerly, hoping that I wouldn't get another headache. _This is going to be a long six months, isn't it?_

* * *

**Author's Note: Whoa, sorry about the wait! I wrote up a few one-shots and a four-shot this past eleven days, which is why this is so late. Two of them are pretty different from my normal writings (but are still Kotone/Lyra and Silver), so they were experiments. The four-shot, _Since You've Been Gone_, is a first attempt at a sad-fic—which I then made have a twist, you'll have to read it and find out. While my favorite one-shot, _Desperate_, is a SoulSilverShipping fic with my headcanon Lyra for my personal copy of _Pokémon HeartGold_. This Lyra is actually a Tsundere!/Stubborn! Lyra, so it makes things interesting between her and Silver. If you like the sound of either of these two fics, please check them out! I'd love for you guys to leave me a review! **

**Anyways, this is an interesting chapter, eh? I used my 'Lyra's never lost' headcanon from my personal _HeartGold_ copy—not to brag, I never lost until I tried to take down Red.../shudders with the memories of failure/. So, I'd love to hear what you guys think about the chapter!**

**...Quick question, do you guys find it 'beggy' to ask for a review at the end of every chapter of a series or at the end of a one-shot? I've been debating on it for a while and would love to hear your opinion!**


	14. Grunt Resources

***~~*Chapter Thirteen: Grunt Resources: Silver's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

I pushed the heavy metal door open with a growl, still frustrated with the fact that I had to go on such a petty errand. Clutching the ridiculous outfit my apprentice had appeared in, I walked into the room filled with grunt uniforms and new equipment for missions with hurried steps. I slammed the outfit on the far desk with a humph, startling a woman with flowing green hair from sorting the newest additions to the summer line of uniforms.

"Oh!" The young woman rose to her feet and gave me a bow with wide eyes. "Sir! I-I didn't expect to see you today! What brings you down here-"

"Cut the chit-chat, Rebecca." I gave her a glare as the past apprentice of Petrel shifted in her spot. "I need you to tailor a uniform for me."

She raised a thin eyebrow before looking down at the overalls on the counter. "...Is this for your apprentice, sir?" I let out a groan and slammed a hand into my face.

"Of course it is, you twit! Now, cut the crap and just make her a new uniform!" She gave a frantic nod before quickly grabbing the outfit and scurrying into a back room. The moment she left my sight, I let out a sigh and leaned back into the counter hoping this wouldn't take all day. _She better have extra staff today, I'm not waiting all afternoon for the girl's outfit._

The woman reappeared within half an hour with a new rocket uniform, this one noticablly smaller than the last uniform my apprentice had worn. She folded them neatly before placing them on the counter.

I raised an eyebrow as she tried to give me an uneasy smile. "Is the skirt longer than her last one?" I narrowed my eyes as the memory of her accidental flash in my office surfaced. I certainly didn't want my apprentice to do _that_ again.

She cocked her head before nodding. "Oh! Yes sir! I extended the length to reach the middle of her thigh, is that acceptable?"

I gave her a grunt and picked up the uniform, not really caring if she had kept the childish clothing I gave as a sample.

Personally, I would have burned the overalls to a crisp and smiled as I put that white hat through a shredder.

"That will be all, grunt." I turned back towards the door and walked away, not even paying attention to her expression of good wishes in training my apprentice.

I had been walking down the hallway for around ten minutes when a familiar figure entered my field of vision. I felt a pressure immediatley enter the air as the teal-haired man gave me a curt nod.

"Ah, sir!" His higher-pitch voice grinded against my skull as the man slipped a frayed piece of rope into his back pocket. "What a pleasure to see you today!" His cold eyes suddenly drifted down to the uniform in my hands. "Oh, is that a new outfit for the little apprentice?"

"That's none of your business, Proton. Let me guess, your stock on ropes running low again?" I cocked my head to give off an air of questioning as his eyes nervously darted back to his hidden evidence. It was no secret that Proton commonly bought out the store's supply of ropes, and an even less of a secret that most of that rope was used in...how you say..._creul_ ways against his lastest victims.

"Oh, those missions..." He shrugged as if trying to change the subject. "They kill these cheap ropes, you know."

"Uh huh." I rolled my eyes and let out a sigh. "I have places to be, Proton." I tried to walk past him but he quickly dropped his arm in my way, pushing against the wall to prevent my passage.

"If I may ask sir," He leaned forward a tad with a sly grin on his face. "Why do you happen to have a new outfit for her, hmm?" His grin grew wider as he went on, "She didn't _actually_ rip her skirt on those Growlithe, did she~?"

_That sick son of an Arcanine!_ I let out a growl and backed up slightly. "That's none of your business, Proton! Now, out of my way!"

He gave one of his Murkrow-laughs before lifting his hand with a satisfied smirk. "Oh, of _course_, sir! I wouldn't want to keep you from your apprentice for too long, not when she's walking around in such a _vulnerable_ state now, would we?" I shot him a harsh glare and quickly walked past him.

"You and the rest of the executives can stick your noses elsewhere, Proton. Kotone Soul is _my_ apprentice and I'm _not_ going to let you four try to worm your way into her training." I spun around sharply as he began to laugh again.

He drew in a sharp breath before giving me a devious smirk and a glare. "Us executives helped train _you_, sir. So, why wouldn't we do so with _your_ adorable little charge?" I felt a rising feeling of nausia at his words, making me turn away and speed-walk away and mutter curses as the man disappeared around a corner.

_I take it back, they're worse than Sharpedo on the hunt. _Far_ worse._

* * *

The doors of the elevator slid open to reveal Archer standing outside my door with a belt of Pokeballs in his hand, the older executive turning slowly at the sound of the machine. _Oh great, another one._ I tried to hold in a groan as I walked out of the doors and approached the golden doors with a frown, _tried _being the key word of the sentence.

"What do _you_ want?!" I glared at him as he gave a short bow.

"Sir, I've retrieved the Pokemon you requested for her training." He held the belt out towards me with a stoic expression. "Unfortunately, I had to go out and personally locate the Murkrow for her since our stock was stark bare." I gave him a grunt and snatched the belt out of his hands.

"Then go find some grunts and tell them to fill up our storage! We can't be running out of Pokemon, Archer!" He gave me a nod before shifting on his feet.

"...Sir, I heard from Petrel down in servailence that the apprentice was bitten by the Growlithe..." I shot him a glare as he went on, "Is she injured?"

"That's none of your business, just like I told Proton. Now," I opened the door to my chambers and scowled at him. "Get back to work!"

He gave me a final nod before hesitantly heading towards the elevator, entering the machine quickly and jabbing his floor. The doors slid shut and the elevator began to rise with a noticable whirr. I rolled my eyes and walked inside the open door with a frown. _Now, back to business..._

"You!" My eyes locked on to the tratiorous Alonso who was circling my apprentice with eager eyes. He stopped in his tracks and looked towards me with a shocked expression. "How did you get out of your Pokeball?!"

I quickly walked up to my apprentice and pulled her by her left arm, tugging her away with a glare. "Master," Alonso slowly sat on his haunches and started to swat his left ear. "I sincerly apologize for my rash behavior last night. I was out of line and acting on impulse. Please forgive my rude actions." I raised an eyebrow as he gently placed his right paw down and looked up at me with wide eyes, trying to charm his way out of punishment.

"...Eep..." My apprentice gave the Persian a nervous look before stepping closer to my side, her eyes never leaving the beast.

"...You," I scowled at him as he simply sat there, tail flicking back and forth in his usual habit. "Will be punished later for your actions. However, I have other things to do at the moment." I gave my apprentice a shove towards my bedroom as Alonso narrowed his eyes. "You better be here when I get back, you mangy cat!"

"Oh," He lifted a paw to his chest and smirked, earning a gulp from the girl beside me. "I wouldn't _dream_ of disobeying you, Master."

_Yeah right, you stupid furball._ I gave him a humph and gave my apprentice another shove. "Get moving, apprentice. You still have training today and I'm not keen on wasting another second!"

"Uh, yes sir..." She gave Alonso another nervous glance before slowly heading towards the hallway. I backed away from the smirking Persian with a harsh glare, not trusting him for a single moment. With a sigh, I reluctantly headed for my room, leaving him alone in front of my couch.

* * *

"There." I locked the bedroom door with a frown, remembering how easily Alonso could open it with his Psychic. I then turned towards the smaller girl with a frown and tossed her new uniform onto the bed. "Now get changed."

Her eyes widened as she let out a few sputters. "N-Now?!"

I rolled my eyes and let out a hiss. "Yes, apprentice. _Now_."

"But!" She quickly shook her head and pointed at me with a frown. "_You're _in here!"

"So?!" I stomped my right foot and scowled at her childish behavior. "What does it matter? I gave you an order, so do it!"

She let out a squeak as her face turned red, her hands slowly untying my jacket before tossing it towards me. I easily caught it as she gulped. "C-Could you at least turn around, sir? I-I don't feel comfortable undressing in here..."

"Oh for the love of Mew!" I shot her a glare before facing the nearby corner. "You'd better get over yourself apprentice! I'm not going to amuse your stupid discomforts every time! You're just going to have to suck it up and deal with it!"

I heard the distinct sound of clothes sliding to the floor and a small squeak, making me roll my eyes and slam my forehead into the wall. _Hurry up, apprentice... I sick of all these detours!_

"Um...sir?" Her voice was barely above a whisper as she sounded as if she turned towards me. "I'm finished..."

"Finally!" I quickly spun around to see her clad in her new uniform, this one a paler shade of grey with an orange 'R' instead of the usual red. _Hmm...interesting. I haven't authorized any changes to the standard uniforms. _"Now we can get back to training!"

A sudden rumble filled the room as she grabbed her stomach with bright cheeks. I narrowed my eyes and frowned as my poketwatch chimed the noon hour.

"...After we get you something to eat again..."

* * *

**Author's Note: And we're back after a short break! Proton is always running into our little baddies at the oddest times, isn't he? This chapter also shows us that Proton isn't the...kindest of individuals.../shudder/ I hope that wasn't too graphic/suggestive for you guys here. I'll let you guys decide what the rope is for—even though I already know what it's use is.  
**

**We also meet Rebecca Trails, a rocket grunt that also makes an appearance in my other SoulSilverShipping fic, _"SoulSilver—Blast_**_ **Off!",**_ **although her roles are both very minor. She's not exactly an OC, she's just some grunt I made a description for because I prefer referring to people by name instead of 'she', 'her' and 'green-haired woman'. (Silver's narrative is an exception because his is for a reason.)**

**And it looks like Alonso is back in action! ;A; /gasp/ How did this happen, you ask? Well, if you remember correctly, Silver pointed out that when Alonso went down in the battle with Typhlosion, he was knocked out after just a Flamethrower. While Blitz is a pretty killer Fire Type with a mean Flamethrower, that Persian is practically the same age as Silver—I know, shocker right? In truth, Alonso was faking it to avoid being scolded at the present time. Self-preservation calls for you to avoid the angry fire-bear, you know.**

**I'm running out of pre-written material for you guys, and that actually stresses me out a bit. I like to have a few chapters ready to go but not posted, just to have some security if I hit a writer's block. I'd like to take a moment and thank you for over _40 reviews_, _1,300 views and 15 followers_! That's really amazing you guys!  
**

**Also, I'd like to point out that I have a poll on my page! It's a poll to see which PokéRival shipping I should write for next! The choices are: Conflict (Leaf and Green), SoulSilver (Lyra and Silver), NewRival (Wally and May), TwinLeaf (Dawn and Barry), Checkmate (Cheren and White), Ferriswheel (N and White), and finally, Jetamie (Calem and Serena).**

**Voting ends on Sunday, July 27th, so vote now to see if your OTP is chosen to be the star of my next fic!**


	15. A Nervous Eater

***~~*Chapter Fourteen: A Nervous Eater: Silver's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

It was back to the deafening roar of the cafeteria once again, the thousands of grunts chattering on and on about worthless crap yet again. I felt sick to my stomach as the sight of a few couples doing...what couples do could be found within the mass of eaters. _Bleh! I really need to get out of here before I have to call in a janitor._ My apprentice payed no attention to the sickening sight and instead headed straight for the food.

A few hushes met my ears as the grunts slowly realized their superior's presence in the room. I looked to find the grunts jabbing each other with their elbows and pointing to me with serious expressions. I simply rolled my eyes and took a quick glance to my apprentice to find the girl surrounded by a few of the younger women, the sound of laughter meeting my ears. _Bah, gossips._

I then realized that even the laughs were dying off as all grunts rose to their feet. _Oh no, not again._ I cringed as the familiar sight of the grunts giving me a salute played out once again.

"All hail the King of Team Rocket!" The grunts' unified voices nearly blew out my eardrums with the outdated display of loyalty. However hard I tried, the expression was a haunted linger of the old rules of the previous ruler of my organization.

"At ease." I gave them the command with a roll of the eyes, the grunts unable to tell the difference between my usual behavior and my annoyed quirks. The grunts gave a unified nod before sitting back down to their lunch.

I then slowly headed towards the group of chattering females with a frown, annoyed by their habit of engaging in rumors and chit-chat. My apprentice backed out of the circle with her hands raised in a defensive position and bright cheeks. She seemed to sputter out something just as they let out a roar of laughter, making me raise an eyebrow.

She didn't even realize that she was backing right into me, making the women laugh even louder. She bumped right into my chest with a squeak before slowly looking up at my face. Her cheeks brightened before she quickly pulled away and stood up straight.

"O-Oh! I'm so sorry, sir! I-I didn't mean to bump into you!" I just narrowed my eyes and pointed to the food nearby. She followed my movement with a look of confusion before letting her eyes grow wide with realization.

"Oh! R-Right! I'll go get something right away, sir!" She then scrambled to the back of the shorter line and bounced on her feet with nervous energy. I was just about to turn away when one of the younger women let out a small laugh, the sound drawing my attention for a heartbeat.

"Oh, sir!" A blonde girl smiled one of those faked grins as her eyes opened and closed repeatedly, almost as if she had something in her eye. I let out a groan and stood up straight, recognizing the signs of flirting. "You look handsome today~!"

I straightened my jacket and turned back to my apprentice with a frown, feeling very annoyed by the young woman already. "Look, I don't have time for any chit-chat crap." I gave her a curt wave and walked away, leaving her standing there with an open mouth. _Stupid women are worse than my executives!_

I stopped beside my still-nervous apprentice with a frown, annoyed with the pack of women's constant flirtations with not only me, but with any other male within a ten-mile radius.

Thank Mew those fools aren't allowed in my wing of the base.

"So," I caught my apprentice's swinging left arm and frowned. "What were those fools spouting off to you now?" She turned back to me with a flustered expression before shaking her head.

"I-I'm certain you wouldn't want to know, sir!" Her hazel eyes kept darting around nervously, locking on the fish in the bins before shifting to the salad-which I'm sure is the exact same as yesterday's, none of the Rockets seem to enjoy their vegetables. "It was just gossip, that's all."

I narrowed my eyes and shook my head. "Ah, but that was an _order_. I _demand_ you tell me what they said." I smirked as her mouth fell open. "When I _ask_ something of you, that _request_ is actually a _demand_." I dropped the smirk and gave her a harsh glare. "Learn it now, apprentice!"

"Y-Yes sir!" She pulled her arm away with a swirl of terror in her eyes, making me smirk as she fought to eliminate it from her thoughts. "You see, those girls were just talking about...well, you."

"Me?" I raised an eyebrow in mock surprise; I was actually a pretty popular topic around the base, the discussions ranging from how great of a leader I was, to when's the perfect time to rise against me.

I can assure you that those who think the second option are dead before morning due to 'mysterious circumstances' that no one can seem to explain, usually freak accidents or violent wild Pokémon. Or should I say, a cut rope, a loose wire or perfectly controlled beasts. Those idiots couldn't tell the cause if it they saw it with their own eyes.

"Yeah..." She scoots down the line with a nervous shuffling of her feet. "They were talking about you."

I take a large step forward, startling her slightly as she found me right next to her in a blink of her eyes. "Oh really? What did they say?"

She gave me a cringe before looking down at her boots. "They...said that I'm lucky to be your apprentice..."

I raise an eyebrow at this; girls like them usually aren't kind towards new recruits, especially when they're apprenticed to someone higher up. There's got to be a catch somewhere. "Why would they say that?"

She looked up with a squeak before taking another step forward. "...They said I'm lucky to have such a hot mentor."

_WHAT IN THE NAME OF MEW?!_ I choke for a second, making me yet again slam my fist into my lungs to unblock my throat. "W-What?! Those idiots...need to shut up!"

She gave a frantic nod before grabbing a tray from the nearby stack and filling it with salad and bluegill, not even stopping for a cookie this time around. I manage to snatch a pudding cup and a spoon without anyone noticing and we both rush out to the hallway, giving the laughing women harsh glares as we pass them.

* * *

"Here." I stopped in front of a familiar metal door a ways down the hall from the noisy cafeteria. I gave the pudding a slight toss to my left hand and quickly let the keypad scan my right thumb with a blank stare. "We're here." I turned back towards my apprentice to find curiosity swirling in the hazel depths.

"Where are we, sir?" I narrowed my eyes just as the door let out a low tone and popped open before us. I turned back towards the opening and frowned as I lead the way inside.

"The Executive Lounge." My voice echoed off the exposed-brick walls as we entered the modern decor of the executives favorite hang-out, one of the few places in the base I could be safe from loud grunts. I looked over my shoulder to find my apprentice staring at everything with a frantic energy. I just rolled my eyes and turned my attention to one of the four glass tables in the middle of the room.

I raised an eyebrow as I found a familiar man giving me a frantic nod before stuffing a forkful of salad in his mouth, making sure to avoid jabbing the leafy greens inside of his short beard. My apprentice let out a small gasp at the nearby crimson sofas with high backs before taking a step forward. I turn to find Arianna taking a nap with a smile, a recent issue of _A Woman's Guide to Battles_ sprawled out upon her lap. I let out a growl and look down at the dark hardwood floors. _Bah, lazy. All of them are lazy fools!_

"...Who's that, sir?" I looked to my right to find my apprentice motioning towards Petrel with anxious eyes.

I gave her a frown before shaking my head. "Bah, that's Petrel. He's the fourth executive. He's a jumble of nerves on his best day, so he tends to eat in here." She gave me a small nod before turning to the middle-aged executive with a smile.

"Hello there, Mr. Petrel." Her voice seems to be purposely restrained, as if she was worried about startling the purple-haired man. "It's nice to meet you."

Petrel quickly swallowed his food before getting up from his seat with a sharp shove of his chair. "A-Ah! Sir! I-I see you've bro-brought your lovely apprentice with you!" He then walked over to us quickly and stopped abruptly to give us a sharp bow. "I-It's a pleasure to meet you!"

I rolled my eyes just as she let out a small laugh. _Ugh, this is getting to be a pain. _"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Petrel."

"Oh p-please," Petrel cleared his throat before shaking his head. "Just P-Petrel is fine, young one!" His squeaky voice seemed even more shrill than usual, further proving his nervous energy had taken center-stage in his mind once again.

"Oh," She cocked her head before giving him a flash of a smile. "Yes, Petrel!"

"Come along, apprentice." I jabbed her with my elbow, startling her out of her conversation. "You have lunch to eat, remember?"

"Oh!" She gave me a nod before rushing to a table to the left of Petrel's, the table usually used by Proton for his lunch. "Right, sir." I slowly walked over with a frown as I tossed the pudding between my hands, narrowing my eyes at the smudged tabletop.

_There._ I focused on a smudge of marinara sauce with a smirk just as she brought her chair closer to the table. _Proton's already been here. Good._ I slowly pulled out a chair beside her and flopped down just as Petrel returned to his seat to finish off his Chef's Salad. _That means I won't have to worry about that lunatic interrupting my lunch break._

I glanced to my right to find the young apprentice already digging into her fish with a smile, eager to chow down before her next stage of training. _Ugh. _I frowned as I turned my attention to my chocolate pudding. _She's honestly hopeless at hurdle jumping. Most new recruits make it to at _least_ the eighth hurdle. She...only made it to the seventh._ I lazily peeled the plastic top off of the cup and jabbed the brown dessert with my spoon. _I have a feeling she's not going to be the best at the physical aspect of being a Rocket._

_Well,_ I smirked as I brought the dessert up to my mouth and quickly stuck the cold metal spoon into my mouth. _I'll just have to work her even harder then. I'm not going to give my apprentice any breaks, they'll think I've gone soft or some crap like that._ I reluctantly pulled the utensil out and gave the dessert another jab, increasing the pace of my eating. _I've got an organization to run. I can't afford to soften up now, not when we're getting stronger so quickly._

"Sir..." I glared to my right as my apprentice finished off her meat. "If I may ask...what are we going to do next?"

I pulled the empty spoon out of my mouth and frowned. "Whatever I say you're going to, apprentice. It's not your place to question your training!" Her eyes grew wide before she gave me a reluctant nod.

"Y-Yes, sir. I-I'm sorry..." I simply narrowed my eyes and returned to eating my pudding. _You're far too bold, apprentice. On the battlefield, I'll let it slide. But when it comes to everyday duties...I'm not going to tolerate such behavior._

I inserted another scoop of chocolate pudding into my mouth and closed my eyes with a small frown. _...Perhaps I _should_ invest in a shock collar, it might just make my job a bit easier._

* * *

**Author's Note:** **And we're back after a short break! My writer's block has been conquered after a long time of drawing instead of writing, so I'm very thankful about that! I'd like to take yet another moment and thank you all for all of your support so far, it really makes my day to see you guys enjoying my work so much!**

**It looks like we've finally met the final executive, Petrel! Petrel's a bit of an anxious person in this fic, and most of it has to do with training Proton and the stress of his job. Silver doesn't care for imitations, you see...**

**While I was trying to conquer my writers block, I drew a few things for _"The Pains of Being in Charge"_! They're on my DeviantArt account if you'd like to take a look!**

**illusionsofinsanity . deviantart art/Training-Begins-The-Pains-of-Being-in-Charge-475544365**

**illusionsofinsanity . deviantart art/On-The-Throne-The-Pains-475560999**

**illusionsofinsanity . deviantart art/Like-Mentor-Like-Apprentice-The-Pains-472582831**

**(Just remove the spaces before and after the periods)**


	16. Not Good Enough?

***~~*Chapter Fifteen: Not Good Enough?: Kotone's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

I quickly snatched my nose as the sharp stench of sweat hit my nose yet again, my mentor taking me straight to the Training Room the minute I finished my lunch. _Bleh! This stench is terrible! Wouldn't they try to get rid of it?_ I tried to pay less attention to the smell and focus on my mentor, but the metallic reek kept slamming into my skull.

"Alright apprentice, it's about time we test out your athleticism once again." Silver was standing right beside a treadmill with a frown, waiting for me to follow him. I put on the best smile I could manage with the horrible smell around me and walked over to his side.

"What's first, sir?" My voice sounded very strange with my nose being plugged as it was, making my mentor flash me a look of utter annoyance.

"First off," His voice was very harsh as he narrowed his eyes at me. "You're going to unplug your nose! Don't be so weak, apprentice."

I opened my mouth to protest, but instantly remembered that this was _Silver Rocket_, not a peer figure as I had been treating him as. I slammed my mouth shut and nodded in agreement, releasing my captive nose and lowering my hand to my side.

"Now," His metallic eyes sharpened for a moment in what appeared to be analysis. "You're going to run on this treadmill here until you either fall off or reach the desired speed and endurance rate." I could tell by the subtle way he stretched 'fall off' that he honestly expected me to fail this exercise as well.

_I have to do this right!_ I narrowed my eyes at the workout equipment and took a deep breath through my mouth-a hard thing to do since I could actually _taste_ the sweat when I opened my mouth. _I've already messed up once, I can't disappoint him again!_

"Yes, sir!" I jumped onto the treadmill with a quick leap and silently hoped my legs weren't too tired from my earlier exercise. I glanced to my left to find my mentor giving me a raised eyebrow, a slight look of curiosity flashing across his face. The look was gone in an instant however, and he returned to his seemingly eternal frown.

"Alright," I watched with interest as he grabbed a few wires from a nearby box and connected them to the machine. "You'll have to wear these so we can monitor your vitals and all that crap, so no fussing." I just nodded as he calmly connected white cables to small suction cups and frowned.

I gulped in slight unease as he connected two suction cups to my head-one on each temple-and one on my wrist. He then let out a small grunt and turned his attention to the controls.

"Um, excuse me sir..." He let out a small growl under his breath and looked at me out of the corner of his piercing eyes. "But, where's the safety key?"

He let his mouth fall open for a moment before letting out a loud roar of laughter, making him pull his hands away and bend over as the laughing stretched on. I gulped down the rising lump in my throat as his laughs slowly died down.

"Apprentice," His voice was slightly lighter than usual, showing that he obviously thought my concern was _hilarious_. "This is Team Rocket, not some weakling's home gym." He narrowed his eyes at me before returning his attention to the controls once again.

I felt a small tug on my feet as the conveyor belt below me started to roll, forcing me to start walking as the speed increased. I looked down at my feet to find to my horror that a few spots of a blackish-red substance were on the treadmill's track in uneven intervals. I looked back up to find my mentor focused on my heartrate, noticing that it had a sudden spike.

"Uh, sir..." He looked over his shoulder and frowned as the speed increased to a light jog. "There's something on the conveyor."

"Oh." He just rolled his eyes and looked back at the monitors on the small panel. "That's just some spots left over from some idiot who fell on his face while he was running, that's all." I felt a stab in my stomach at the realization that it was someone's _dried blood_ stains and picked up the pace.

Silver kept the machine at a easy pace for a while, making me feel a bit less nervous about failing this activity. In fact, I found myself starting to find a steady rhythm as the time ticked by.

"Alright, enough with the warm-up." I glanced up from my feet to find Silver cranking up one of the dials on the machine. "Time to start the actual work."

I felt my stomach drop as the speed increased into a run. I soon found myself letting out a small scream and grabbing the nearby handlebar to keep myself from being dragged backwards with the belt.

My mentor suddenly let out a snarl and slapped my hands with his palm, making me let out a squeak of pain and withdraw my wounded fingers. The belt quickly snatched my unsteady feet and pulled me back closer to the edge, forcing me to pick up speed into a desperate attempt to not be thrown off.

"No cheating, apprentice!" I found my breath becoming a bit unsteady as he scowled at me. "Suck it up and run!"

"I-I'm trying, sir!" My arms were swinging from side-to-side as I tried to remain on the track, the machine seemingly getting even faster than it already was. My feet were pounding against the black belt as I slowly inched closer to the back of the treadmill and stretched out the wires connected to my skin, despite the frantic pace I was trying to uphold.

In only a few short minutes, I found myself just a step away from the back of the belt. I looked up from my feet to find my mentor flashing a devious smirk with self-satisfaction coursing through his eyes, his right hand clenching the speed dial. He suddenly gave it a violent jerk, snapping the cords painfully off of my skin, sending me flying off the belt and tumbling across the disgusting grey carpet and crashing into the far wall. I let out a low groan of pain as my knees found a resting place on my chin, my body upside down and throbbing with the harsh impact.

"Tsk, I should have known." I slowly forced my eyes open to find my mentor's shining shoes directly across from my nose, his right foot tapping impatiently as he let out a sigh. "Of course you couldn't handle even _half_ the speed I can. After all," He kneeled down to allow me to look up at his face and frowned. "You're just a little girl." I felt the anger rising in my gut as he went on with his scolding.

"I'm starting to think that you're not good enough to be my apprentice."

* * *

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I've gotta take a minute and once again thank you all for your wonderful support of my _"The Pains of Being in Charge"_! The views and follows on this is literally making my jaw drop! And let's not forget all of your lovely reviews, too!**

**So, it seems that Kotone is _really_ not so good at this physical part of the training. You would think that being a Pokémon Trainer would make this easier, but it's not always the case...**


	17. Frustrations of a Mentor

***~~*Chapter Sixteen: Frustrations of a Mentor: Silver's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

_Pathetic._ I scowled as my apprentice slammed her eyes shut at my words and hid her face behind her gloved hands for a moment. _She only reached four on the dial; the rest of the time she was uneven in her pace and trying to keep herself on the treadmill. I've never heard of a new recruit doing so poorly on the physical testing!_

"Get up!" I rose to my feet and shook my head as her shoulder took a quick rise before falling back down. I turned away and clenched my hands into tight fists. "You're wasting time, runt!"

I looked over my shoulder to find her doing a backwards somersault to right herself, forcing her feet over her head and bending her spine until it stuck out of her tight uniform as a small ridge down her back. She then slowly rose to her feet with a deep breath, her eyes cast down to her now scuffed boots.

"Well," I frowned at her drooping stance and glared at her hidden eyes. "Let's get moving!"

"...Yes sir..." Her voice was barely above a whisper, which made only more irritated with her failure. I snapped my attention back to the door and heading out, not even bothering to check and see if she was actually following me.

* * *

Our footsteps echoed off the metallic walls and floors, mine far louder than hers and at a far more even pace. I glanced over my shoulder to find her clutching her right side with a gentle grip, either to soothe a pain caused by smashing into the wall or to try to quench the burn of aching muscles, both of which were self-inflicted wounds.

I turned my attention back to the long hallway before me and frowned. "...You're honestly the worst person I've ever seen when it comes to athleticism. You _were_ a Trainer, weren't you?"

"...Yes sir." Her answer was a monotone mumble, making me roll my eyes in annoyance.

"Did you ever even _try_ that Pokémara or whatever it is?"

"The Pokéathlon?" I looked back to find her still staring at her boots and walking with shaking steps. "They wouldn't let me in. They said I was too small and that I would be squashed by the other competitors."

"Figures." I snapped my attention back to the hallway and felt a dark feeling rise in my throat. "Why _would_ you actually be able to compete in something that would've made my job easier?!" I ignored how she let out a small sigh and focused solely on myself. "After all, you were _terrible_ today! It's almost like the only thing you're good for is battling!"

She remained silent at my words, instead slowing her pace to distance herself from me. _Fine then. Be that way, runt. I don't care if you're crying back there as long as I don't see it or hear you._

Relief crept into my mind as the elevator popped back into my vision, proving that we had reached the end of the hallway once again. I sped up the pace to hurry things along, not even caring that I startled my apprentice behind me.

I pressed the call button the second I reached the machine and glared at the elevator as it whirred with the moving of pulleys inside of the shaft. _Ugh, hurry up you stupid elevator!_ Once the doors slid open, I immediately cursed the base's lack of stairs.

Standing right inside of the elevator was Proton, the man yet again inserting himself into the training of my apprentice.

I felt a snarl rise in my throat as the man's grey eyes grew wide before they narrowed with a smirk. "Ah, sir! What a surprise!"

My apprentice let out a small gasp of shock and hurried to my back, hiding behind me in an attempt to avoid detection.

"Oh," Proton's smirk turned into a wicked grin as he focused on the small girl behind me. "I see you're with your little apprentice! On your way to the showers?"

"Where I'm heading is none of your business, Proton." I glared at him and slowly walked inside of the elevator. I growled as I found my apprentice standing exactly where she was when I was her shield, frozen in place with horror. I snapped my fingers before pointing to the spot next to me, choosing to take the spot closest to the unstable man to force her to stand the farthest away.

She took a deep breath before slowly walking beside me and frowning, obviously uneasy about being in an enclosed space with this man. I silently hoped that Proton hadn't noticed her reluctance.

"What's the matter, little mouse~? I don't bite~." I find myself holding back a gag as Proton's poor attempts of cooing met my ears, sounding more like a Noctowl trying to reassure its prey to lure it into a trap than a Pidgeot talking to its young. _Of course he notices. Why _wouldn't_ he notice?_

"I-I'm sorry, M-Mr. Proton!" My apprentice stiffens beside me as the doors slid shut, nearly tripping over her words. "I-I'm just a bit tired!"

"Ah," I glanced to my right to find the man giving my apprentice a sickening grin. "Your little mentor's been working you hard, has he?" I growled as he went on, "I'm certain you've been doing well. From what I hear, you're quite the battler..."

"T-Thank you..." The brunette's face suddenly gained both a look of hidden horror and bright cheeks at his compliment, making me feel even more outraged at Proton's boldness.

"In fact," The man went on with his flattery despite the recipient's displeasure, "I'd be honored to face you in a battle sometime, little one~."

"Well," I burst into the conversation in an attempt to stop this man from talking. "How about you punch in your floor and get going, Proton? I'm _sure_ you have things to do today..." I glared at the teal-haired man and frowned as he shot me an annoyed look.

"...Of course, sir." He slowly reached over to the long pad of buttons and hit the one for the thirteenth floor. The elevator then let out a low chime and let the doors slowly seal us in. _Well,_ I narrowed my eyes at the reluctantly growing numbers on the small screen that designated our floor. _At least he's only got a few floors to go..._

"Oh, silly me~!" I cringed as Proton slammed a hand into his face beside me, startling my apprentice into releasing a small squeak. "Your destination is _far_ more important than my evening shower!" He then waved a hand in the air before letting a finger hover over the button for my floor. "I'll let you two go first."

"_Proton_," The man's name came out as a hiss as I suddenly became aware of the sharp tang of blood. "That won't be necessary." I shot him a glare as he focused on my apprentice. "You can take your shower; you smell as if you could need one."

"Ah, you know how helping out in the cafeteria is, sir." Proton waved it off as my apprentice gulped. "Those fools couldn't make a burger to save their lives! I couldn't stand by and watch them be so careless with tonight's meal!"

I didn't even respond to his strange cover-up, I just stood there and waited for this agonizing ride to be over. By the way my apprentice was grabbing the edge of my sleeve, I could tell she was more than ready to get out of here as well.

After what felt like hours, the elevator finally stopped on Proton's floor. The man gave me a bitter nod and a curt wave before walking into the steam that constantly filled this floor. I let out a sigh of relief and punched in the number for my own floor.

The doors quickly slid shut and the machine jolted before continuing down to the nearly last floor of the base. After watching the numbers grow for a few minutes, I turned to my apprentice.

"If you were planning on taking a shower before you turn in for the evening, you might as well forget about it." She slowly turned towards me with a defeated look on her face, her eyes murky with unshed tears. "That lunatic _never_ uses the public showers any other time, so I'm certain the only reason he came here was an excuse."

"...Then, where _does_ Proton shower?" Her voice was faint as the elevator slowly moved along, giving us plenty of time to talk amongst ourselves.

"The executives have their own personal showers on the fourteenth floor. Proton usually takes his around the evening hours and one right when he wakes up in the morning around four A.M." I narrowed my eyes as the memory of carrying towels to the Executive's Showers flashed in my mind, back when I was too young to be an official apprentice. I learned quickly to get there _before_ the executives woke in the morning for their showers, or else risk dealing with an enraged superior.

"...Oh." My apprentice didn't seem to question how I knew such things, she was too busy staring at her boots. I just frowned at her moping and turned my attention back to the numbers on the screen.

I soon found the silence both calming and somehow anxiety-inducing. The silence itself was perfect for me. However, I hadn't heard that higher tone of hers in over an hour and that somehow wasn't as pleasant as I thought it would be.

"...If you're moping because of your performance today, don't." I glanced to my left to find her looking up at me through her hair, the brunette locks shielding most of her eyes from my sight. "You still have plenty of training to do, as well as far more testing to be completed before I'll move on to actually improving your current performance levels. I won't tolerate you getting all..._this_ after a scolding." I watched her lips part for a moment before they slowly closed again, as if she thought twice about what she was going to say. I turned my attention back to the numbers as they reached the sixties range and frowned. "I expect nothing less than your best tomorrow, apprentice."

"...Yes sir." I let my gaze snatch a quick look to find her with a small smile on her face yet again. "I understand."

"Good," I looked back to the screen to find us only seconds away from our floor. "I'll hold you to your word, then."

The machine let out a low bellchime before letting the doors open yet again, allowing me to slip out of the door first and foremost. I then headed straight for my quarters as my apprentice followed my every step.

* * *

**Author's Note: Here's the next chapter for you guys! A big thank you to all of my readers! You guys make me so happy!  
**

**It seems that Proton is always looming over our duo, isn't he? Well, the Executives will be a constant threat to Silver's apprentice, that's for sure. Also, Proton was actually telling the truth. He _indeed_ was helping out in the kitchen. He was helping the volunteers to butcher a Tauros for that evening's meal. So, Proton wasn't telling _only_ lies here.**

**In the next few chapters, you guys are going to learn what Team Rocket's latest goal is! I won't state it directly at first, but there should be enough hints to suffice in the next two(?) chapters.**


	18. Late Night Studying

***~~*Chapter Seventeen: Late Night Studying: Silver's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

I have to admit that one of the perks of being in charge around here would be the fact that people are required to listen to your every command, making it much easier to get your meals delivered to your office and for you to order a steaming plate of Farfetch'd breast and leeks from sixty-five stories above your head and have it brought back down to your floor while the dish is still scalding hot. I honestly don't know how many nights I would have gone hungry without this very convenient bonus.

"So, that crosses your physical tests off the list for right now." I leaned back in my chair with a forkful of meat and frowned as my apprentice kept feeding her share to Alonso—who had been sticking close to my side every since we had returned. "That just leaves a few fighting tests and about three battle-related tests."

"Sir," My apprentice pulled her fingers away from Alonso's snapping jaws just a few seconds before he tried to sink his fangs into them. "What's the difference between fighting tests and battling tests? Aren't they the same thing?"

I stared at her for a moment, taken aback by her stupidity. I then burst into laughter as the malicious Persian helped himself to the rest of my apprentice's food, stabbing the chunks of meat with his claws and licking them off with a smirk.

"Fighting," I cleared my throat as I found the words coming out in between laughs, making me fight to regain my composure. "Fighting tests are for _your_ abilities, while battling tests are for your _Pokémon_."

"You mean," My apprentice's eyes grew wide as the explanation clicked in her mind. "You mean _I'll_ be fighting actual _people_ instead of Pokémon?!"

I just groaned and rolled my eyes. "Of course, apprentice. Otherwise, how could you knock out someone to obtain your objective? Or, how will you escape the clutches of any officers when you happen to slip up and manage to get caught?" When _you caught is more accurate with your current performances._

She looked down to her now emptied plate and frowned, avoiding my gaze. I raised and eyebrow and found myself growling at her, "You didn't think that this job was only about taking over the Johto region and stealing Pokémon, did you?"

She snapped back to attention and shook her head violently. "No sir! Not at all! I'll do whatever it takes to be a Rocket, sir!"

I shook my head slowly and sighed before turning my attention to the last pieces of roast Farfetch'd on my plate. "Good. I expect your best, apprentice."

The next ten minutes were filled with only the sound of my fork hitting my plate and my apprentice's breathing, Alonso slipping out of the room after he found that no more food would be up for grabs. After I finished eating and cleaning myself up, I headed back to my study to spend the rest of the evening in my general pastime.

I had to study up on the recent spottings of a certain legendary duo in the Johto region.

"...Stupid ladder!" I found myself fiddling with the blue ladder as I tried to reach a higher shelf on my 'L' shelf, the added height somehow making things even more difficult than if I had just climbed up the bookshelf like an Aipom. "Hold still!"

I jerked to my left as I found the ladder suddenly being grabbed and held down. I glared down at the base of the ladder to find my apprentice holding it in place with a look of determination in her eyes. I raised an eyebrow in interest but quickly returned to grabbing the desired tome from the upper shelf.

Once the book was safely against my chest, I slid down the ladder without a second of hesitation, startling my apprentice into letting out a squeak of shock. I grunted at her as I passed, trying to get her to follow me back to my desk. Whether or not she understood my gesture is a mystery, but she followed me back to my desk either way.

I slumped into my chair with a sigh, pulled the book out of my jacket and gently placed it onto the mahogany desk in front of me. "There, now I can get to work."

* * *

***~~*Kotone's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

I found my curiosity getting the best of me as my mentor gently coaxed some dust off of the cover of this seemingly ancient book. With a gulp and a few steps closer to the desk, I cocked my head. "Sir, what book are you reading?"

My question interrupted his opening of the book, making his cold eyes slowly lift to my face while a tight frown graced his face. "...Why are you asking such a stupid question, apprentice? Can't you read the cover?"

"Well sir, I..." I scratched the back of my neck before clearing my throat and trying again. "I didn't get a chance to read the cover, sir."

He rolled his eyes before an unknown emotion suddenly flashed across his face. He quickly shook his head just seconds after it took over, ridding his eyes of a certain spark. "This tome is an ancient legend about a pair of legendary Pokémon that live in a region far away from here. The duo has recently made an appearance in the Johto region and of course Team Rocket is interested in such powerful beasts."

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow as a small voice screamed at me within myself, yelling at me and scolding me for my cooperation with an organization who specializes in stealing, capturing and exploiting Pokémon for their own gain. I ignored the swirling guilt and instead focused on the idea of foreign legendaries appearing in the Johto region. "A pair of legendaries from another region?"

"Yes, apprentice." Silver Rocket's voice was filled with annoyance as he started to read the page in front of him. "I just said that."

I thought back to any mentions of a duo of legendaries from another region being in the news or among the more gossip-loving trainers I came across on my journey. A small nagging feeling kept tugging me towards the shores of Olivine, my brain insisting that the seaside city was somehow connected to the mentioned pair of Pokémon.

Despite the searching of my thoughts, I couldn't quite figure out what my mind was hinting at. With a pout of defeat, I let out a sigh. "I've heard about that...I think."

"Uh huh." I looked up from my boots to find my mentor absorbed in his book, his eyes eagerly taking in every word of the book. I just shook my head and sat down on the floor, waiting for my mentor to give me his next order.

_If only I could remember what Pokémon they were..._

* * *

**Author's Note: And here's the chapter with all the hints! Do you know which legendary duo Silver's set his sights on? Don't forget to tell me your guess in the reviews section!  
**


	19. A Temporary Arrangement

***~~*Chapter Eighteen: A Temporary Arrangement: Silver's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

After quite a few hours of pouring over the text, I found my eyes growing heavier with each word, the black letters blurring and merging before my tired eyes. With a sigh of defeat, I gave in to the growing need for rest. I slowly closed the book and then stood up while stretching my arms above my head, trying to rid myself of the tight knot inside of my back.

A small moan filled the silence of the room, making me jolt with a bolt of shock. I looked over the edge of my desk to find my apprentice curled up into a ball and sleeping with her hat as her pillow.

_What an idiot!_ I glared at her sleeping form as I growled in annoyance. _Who falls asleep on the stinkin' floor?!_ I shook my head and walked around my desk, stopping right beside her with a scowl. I quickly rolled her over with my shoe, startling her awake.

"I'm awake, sir!" She sat up and gave me a salute while I just growled and motioned for her to get up. She jumped to her feet as I stuck my hands in my pockets and sighed.

"What am I going to do with you, apprentice?" I shook my head while clicking my tongue as she gulped, obviously uncomfortable with my tone of disappointment.

I looked down at my feet and furrowed my brow as I tried to figure out what I should do with her. _She just fell asleep on my study's floor! Where am I supposed to put her for the night? She can't use that little side room; she'll just end up getting attacked by Alonso again!_

I looked back up to find to my confusion that my apprentice was nearly falling asleep on her feet, swaying back and forth as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

"Oh for the love of Mew!" I quickly snatched her wrist and tugged her out of the study, making her let out a squeak of shock and struggle to use her feet to follow me. I shoved her inside of my room and glared at her as she rubbed her eyes frantically.

_I can't believe I'm doing this! This is ridiculous!_ I stormed over to my bed, snatched a pillow and literally hurled it at her face, making her let out yet another squeak as she fumbled the object in her clumsy hands. I then pointed to my cream sofa where she slept last night and growled.

She looked up from the pillow to find me pointing at the couch with a scowl, making her gaze slowly follow my arm to the piece of furniture. She then slowly brought her eyes back to my face with a look of drowsy questioning.

"You will just have to rest there until I can figure out where you can sleep without me having to worry about you ending up dying during the night!" She stared at me for a moment before nodding in understanding and trudging over to the soft surface. She barely had enough time to put the pillow under her head and lay down before she fell asleep.

I found my head throbbing as I watched her sides start to rise and fall in the gentle rhythm of sleep.

_Great. _I rubbed my temples and scowled as I tried to think. _Now I'll have to share _my_ room with my apprentice. Stupid furball! This is all that mangy Persian's fault!_ I found myself growling as I slipped out of my jacket for the night.

"...Crap."

It was only when I was half-way done unbuttoning my shirt that I realized that undressing in here perhaps wasn't the best choice. With a sigh of annoyance, I trudged to my personal bathroom to finish the job.

_Dang apprentice is making me lose my sanity._

I finally returned to my bedroom after a good five minutes, feeling not only exhausted but frustrated. _I have to think of a place to put that apprentice of mine, somewhere where that stupid cat will not kill her while I sleep as I'm certain he's planning..._

I slowly made my way to my bed and just fell back onto the soft surface, letting myself bounce on the mattress for a moment before climbing up to my usual spot. With a last look at my apprentice to make sure she was still there, I slammed my head against my pillow and fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm so happy that so many of you guessed! That just made me so happy to see you guys tossin' me your opinions! Really, thank you all so much for your guesses!**

**I'd hate to tell you this...but the answer still hasn't been said.**

**I know, you guys are probably like, "WHAT?! IT'S NOT HO-OH AND LUGIA?!" But I'm so sorry to tell you that it's actually a _different_ legendary duo that's from another region and begins with a _'L'_. It's going to be revealed in the next chapter, so stay tuned!**

**...Super short transition chapter is short. I'll post two chapters today to make up for it.**


	20. Memories of the Sea

***~~*Chapter Nineteen: Memories of the Sea: Kotone's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

_I walked into the bustling port of Olivine with a smile, Blitz at my heels and my bag crashing into my hip as I walked. I took a deep breath after passing the city's first colorful banner and instantly felt relaxed by the scent of saltwater and fresh air._

_ "Ah, it's so peaceful here!" I turned to find Blitz glaring at the distant ocean with a growl. I just laughed and shook my head._

_ "Bud, it's a harbor. I'm afraid there's plenty of water around here."_

_ "Well," He let out a huff of frustration and narrowed his crimson eyes at an overhead Wingull. "I still hate the stuff. It's the only thing that can bring even the mighty Entei to his knees."_

_ "Or Rock." I walked ahead with a frown of concentration, hoping that I could recall all of the type match-ups with ease as Hibiki could. "There's also Ground, too. Any of those three are your worst nemesis, baby."_

_ "Hold it." I stopped as Blitz suddenly thrusted his arm in front of me. "There's something off up ahead."_

_ I turned back with a frown to find him glaring ahead with a protective spark in his eyes. "What do you mean, buddy? I don't see anything unusual..."_

_ A man suddenly walked out from behind a blindspot up ahead, wearing a dignified suit and fancy shoes. I cocked my head as he ran a hand through his shimmering silver locks and looked around._

_ "It's pretty odd for someone to be that overdressed in the middle of summer..." I lowered Blitz's paw and walked cautiously ahead, earning a growl and a desperate bark from my trusted partner._

_ "Oh..." The man's smooth tones reached my ears as I came closer. "I'm certain that they're here."_

_ "Excuse me, sir..." My voice clearly startled him, for he jolted and spun around with a look of utter shock. "But may I ask what you're looking for?"_

_ "I'm sorry, little girl." I bit my lip as he waved me off and returned to staring out at the sea. "I'm afraid I'm too busy to talk right now. I'm on important mission."_

_ "What kind of mission, sir?"_

_ The man turned back and narrowed his light-blue eyes, making them seemingly pierce through me. "Little girl, I'm terribly sorry but this is too important for me to waste time like this." I frowned with narrowed eyes as he started to walk away. "Now, I must be off."_

_ Just as the man was leaving, Blitz scurried to my side on all fours, snarling a warning to the strange man. The silver-haired individual turned back in shock to find my starter rising to his full height and stretching himself to his toes to intimidate him. The man's sky-colored eyes brightened at the sight of my starter before he turned back to me with curiosity._

_ "Is this your Pokémon, little one?"_

_ I nodded viciously and extended my right hand out to block my starter from tearing into this suit-donning man as he had tried to do with another suit-lover by the name of Eusine._

_ "This is Blitz. We're traveling to take on the League challenge." The man's mouth opened for a moment before he smiled._

_ "Well, how many badges do you have?"_

_ I reached into my bag and pulled out my badge case. I opened it with a surge of pride as five metal pins gleamed in the noonday sun. "I've already defeated over half of the Gyms in Johto. I'm hoping to challenge Jasmine in the Olivine Gym today."_

_ "Well," The man leaned down to get a closer look at my badges, earning another growl from my Volcano Pokémon. "What a sight..." He slowly lifted his head to me and nodded slowly._

_ "I'm sorry for my previous behavior. I was just very focused on something."_

_ "If I may ask," I slowly closed the case and stashed it back into my bag. "What are you looking for?"_

_ "I," The man slowly rose to his feet and placed a hand above his heart. "Am Steven Stone. I've travelled here from my homeregion of Hoenn after hearing of the travelling of a pair of legendary Pokémon who live back in Hoenn."_

_ "Steven Stone?" I blinked for a moment before recalling the man's name from an interview on special stones. "Oh!" I found myself grinning as I recalled who he was. "You're the Hoenn Champion, aren't you?"_

_ Steven laughed and nodded. "That is correct, young one." He then motioned towards the beach with a look of concentration. "I was hoping the two Pokémon might show up here in the city of Olivine. They seem to enjoy cities with plenty of water about." I nodded to show I was listening as he went on, "They do travel on occasion, although never to another region such as Johto..."_

_ "Mr. Stone?" His attention slowly drifted back to me as I brushed some of my hair behind my ear. "Just who are these Pokémon?"_

_ "Ah," He lifted a hand for a moment before deciding to run it through his hair again, allowing me to notice the sweat beading on his shining forehead. "Mr. Stone is my father. Please, just Steven is fine, young one."_

_ I nodded before he looked back to the sea._

_ "As for the Pokémon, they are known as the Eon Twins."_

_ "The...Eon Twins..?" I felt a sudden shift in the wind, teasing both my chocolate hair and Steven's silver locks. The title rolled off of my tongue with ease, almost as if I was meant to say it. "Who are they?"_

_ "The Eon Twins," Steven began, shutting his eyes and enjoying the breeze's refreshing qualities. "Are two Pokémon who watch over Hoenn, flying wherever their hearts' content. They are constantly hiding from the eyes of us humans, but they have been known to take the form of a human and walk among us. They seem to enjoy towns with water, as they enjoy playing in it and swimming as much as they love flying."_

_ "They..." The awe I felt dripped from every syllable, my voice both quiet and calm despite the jitters I felt. "They sound wonderful, Steven Stone."_

_ "Ah," He nodded and opened his eyes. "They are indeed wonderful, little one." He then turned back towards me and smiled._

_ "For being such a small girl, you certainly have an aura about you..." I cocked my head in confusion only for him to chuckle and place a strong hand on my hat. Blitz immediately growled and lowered to his paws, ready to fight._

_ "You remind me of someone from back home."_

_ I just stood there as he ruffled my hat and sighed. He then retracted his hand and gave me a wry smile._

_ "You," He reached behind him and pulled something out of his pocket. "Might benefit from this, little one." I watched on in silence as he handed me a small orb. I lifted it slightly as to get a better look, only for it to shine in the sunlight and seemingly glow._

_ "This is a Soul Dew." I looked back to find him smiling at me. "It's said to hold the spirit of an Eon Pokémon inside of it. Promise me you'll take care of it."_

_ "I will, sir." I nodded and clutched the verdant orb to my chest. "I'll make sure to take great care of it."_

_ He nodded and looked towards the entrance of the city. With a few long strides, he headed towards it with a dignified air._

_ He stopped for a moment and looked over his shoulder with a look of worry. "I'll be on my way, now. I have a feeling that the Eon Twins have decided to explore the interior. Farewell, little one."_

_ Then, Steven Stone walked away._

_ I watched him leave for a while, dumbstruck by this strange man. I slowly turned my attention back to the orb in my hands. I lifted it up as to see it in the light again and found myself gasping in awe._

_ The inside of the gem seemed to be alive, twirling slowly with a shimmer of blues and greens. I stared at it, fully enchanted by this wonderful gift. With a smile, I slipped it into my bag and tucked it in with my spare clothes and sleeping bag. I then slowly headed towards the beach, a worrying and frantic Blitz behind me._

_ I stopped beside the tide's ripples, looking out at the blue expanse with wonder. Blitz waited a few paces back as to prevent himself from getting wet paws. I smiled as I thought of Steven Stone's words._

_ "A pair of legendaries from the Hoenn region? They sound amazing..."_

_ The wind suddenly shifted once again, bringing the spray from the ocean into my face and coating my cheeks with salt. I ignored this and smiled, too amazed by the idea of something so extraordinary coming to Johto._

_ Then, I noticed a shimmer above the water._

_ I cocked my head and squinted at the strange refraction above the water's surface. Sure enough, water ripples appeared below the strange shimmer, almost as if a Pokémon was flying low to the ground. I stared at the strange sight with confusion, wondering what it could be._

_ Suddenly, the lights sped up and nearly crashed into me._

_ I flinched as I felt as if something stopped just inches from my nose. Blitz started growling under his breath, the warning unsteady and questioning more than intimidating. I slowly relaxed before I suddenly was hit with a hot breath._

_ Startled, I blinked furiously. The next thing I knew, something nudged me._

_ I leaned back slightly, feeling suddenly uncomfortable as another blast of sticky air slammed into my face. I swallowed a lump in my throat and slowly reached out my right hand, half hoping that it was all in my imagination._

_ My hand touched nothing but air for a few moments before something incredibly soft rubbed against my palm. My mouth opened slightly as the soft surface pushed against my hand and seemed to vibrate as if a purr._

_ I blinked for a moment and found the second my eyes opened a strange Pokémon floating before me with a long neck, tight wings like an airplane, short arms with thick paws and a sweet face with wing-like ears. I gasped as its red and white feathers shimmered in the sunlight._

_ "Wow..." The creature flinched at my voice for a moment before relaxing once again and nuzzling my hand with a coo. "What kind of Pokémon are you?"_

_ "La!" It looked up with a smile and nudged my hand again. "La la!"_

_ "You certainly are amazing..." Blitz stopped growling behind me and relaxed with a rumble of apology as I simply stared at this Pokémon in front of me. "I've never seen something like you before."_

_ I was taken aback yet again when a second Pokémon appeared out of thin air, this one bigger than the one before me, but still very similar. This one had blue feathers instead of red and seemed to look at me through eyes of caution._

_ "Lo!" It called out to the one beside it with a commanding tone, drawing its attention instantly. I watched as they talked to each other for a minute before turning back towards me with warm eyes._

_ "La!" The red one suddenly leaned forward and licked my cheek, tickling me with its small tongue. The Pokémon looked down at my bag before rising in the air with a smile. The blue one quickly followed suit, rising even higher that the smaller Pokémon. With a nudge in the red one's side, the blue one managed to convince it to bring its small arms to its chest._

_ Then, just as suddenly as they appeared, they vanished._

_ I looked around just as a sudden gust of wind blew my hat off of my head. I turned quickly to watch as my hat was blown away back to the city's streets, leaving me to chase after it with frantic feet. Even as I chased the hat that seemed to gain a mind of its own, my thoughts still focused on both the Soul Dew Steven Stone had given me and the two Pokémon that appeared and disappeared without a trace._

* * *

I bolted awake in the cold darkness, panting for breath as my legs still throbbed with the memory of chasing my favorite hat down those many side-streets. I looked around to find myself in my mentor's bedroom yet again, the sound of soft snores echoing off of the marble floors.

I lifted a hand to my soaked hair and smiled as the memories became clear to me.

"Latias and Latios..."

* * *

**Author's Note: AND SO THE ANSWER IS REVEALED! owo  
**

**The legendary duo Silver is currently after is the Eon Pokémon of Latias and Latios! Why these two instead of Lugia and Ho-Oh, you ask? Well, there was an event long ago (if memory serves me right) where Steven Stone appeared in Pewter City and gave the player a Soul Dew, thereby allowing them to capture both Latias and Latios. When you defeat the Champion in HG and SS, you unlock the chance to capture either Latias or Latios depending on your version. (I'm chasing after Latias, actually.)**

**I decided on the Eon duo for a few reasons. First of all, Kotone here isn't really seen as something amazing as in the actual storyline. In this AU!, the Kimono Girls have chosen someone else instead of her, a different trainer who happened to leave New Bark Town a lot earlier than Kotone did. Second and my main reason was the event I described above. I thought that the Eon duo would be a good match for them, as Latias is a light-hearted Pokémon and Latios is very serious and a bit Tsundere (as they are portrayed in _"Pokémon Heroes: Latias and Latios"_) The third reason was indeed that movie.**

**Why am I referencing a movie that took place in Anime!Canon? Well, as you may or may not remember, Giovanni sent Annie and Oakly (love them by the way) to capture the Eon duo. If I remember correctly, Latios and Latias are the only legendarys said to be on Giovanni's capture list directly (not counting all the times Jessie and James said a Pokémon would be lovely for the boss.) Latias and Latios are the only legendarys that Giovanni _sent_ people to capture for him (besides the Mews). I've always found this interesting, so I decided to give Silver the fascination with the duo, seeing as HGSS!Canon seems to be very favorable to them.**

**(Just a little observation, but Game Freak was very generous with the Hoenn remake hints in HG and SS. We have a free Torchic/Mudkip/Treeko from Steven Stone in Silph Co, we have the Latias and Latios roaming legendarys and we have the Soul Dew event as well. They've been pretty kind to us in the hint department.)**

**[Secondary side note here, but have you guys _SEEN_ Steven's new suit for _Omega Ruby _and_ Alpha Sapphire_?! That is one HECK of a suit, ladies and gentlemen! ..._Really_ worried about his Metagross of doom, though. "orz]**


	21. Another Morning in Hell

***~~*Chapter Twenty: Another Morning in Hell: Silver's Viewpoint*~~***

* * *

I awoke to not only the sharp burn of the overhead lights, but the sound of heavy snores resonating from my couch. With a groan of protest, I slowly sat up and peered over the edge of my bed. To my frustration, I found my apprentice sprawled out on the couch with her Typhlosion curled up just below her hand. The beast's flames were gone as it slept, its chest rising and falling in perfect time with its master.

"Ugh..." I felt my head pound once again as I slipped out of bed and walked over to my apprentice's side. With a violent shove and a quick jab in her side, I managed to wake her from her slumber.

"Nngh," She seemed to be in a daze for a few seconds before jumping to her feet and saluting me—despite the fact that I was standing here in my favorite silk robe and glaring at her with frustration. "I'm awake, sir! Good morning!"

"Shut your mouth." She seemed taken aback by my tired mumble. "Don't talk until I've gotten dressed, eaten breakfast and it's past nine in the morning. Otherwise, not a peep from you."

She opened her mouth to respond but instead slammed it shut and nodded. I simply rolled my eyes and jabbed the air towards the door.

"Go wait out there while I change, apprentice. Then it's straight to breakfast for you."

She gave me a nod before heading towards the door with clumsy feet. I frowned before rolling my eyes and heading for my dresser.

* * *

Time soon found us once again in the elevator, waiting for our floor with tired eyes and impatient stomachs. I glanced at my apprentice to find her nearly falling asleep on her feet, swaying back and forth for a few moments. I rolled my eyes and snapped my fingers, the action startling her out of that state and making her feet scramble to grab a firm hold on the floor.

"Wake up, apprentice! I won't tolerate you falling asleep in the elevator or frankly any other location!" I turned to her with a glare to find her rubbing her eyes quickly as if to wake herself up. "The next time I see it, I expect you to drop to your hands and knees and give me twenty push-ups!"

"Yes sir!" The call came out as a squeal of attention just as the elevator doors opened. I just shook my head with disapproval and walked out the doors, not even waiting for her to catch up.

* * *

The cafeteria was not as empty as our last breakfast run, proving to me yet again that I had accidentally slept in this morning and therefore delayed my apprentice's training. I frowned as the more early rising grunts gave me a salute as I passed by, rising to their feet in a wave of uniformity and saluting in perfect timing with the one before them. In the eyes of anyone else, this small act would seem quite amazing. After all, it's not every day that a group of one-hundered individuals can time their hails at the perfect time, making it so that I was constantly in a state of being saluted.

But all I cared about at this moment was getting something to fill the void in my stomach and to feed my most likely starving apprentice.

I slammed my fist on the counter with a scowl as my scrambling apprentice finally caught up to me, her eyes eagerly watching the kitchen doors for my chef. I waited for an excruciating two minutes before deciding to just call out the orders myself.

"Frederic! Get your sautéing rear out here and make it snappy! I'm late on my caffeine as it is here!"

The moment my words left my mouth, out burst the Kalosian-born chef with a tray in hand and a song on his tongue. I just glared as he placed the platter of Carvanha fillets and Tomato berries. I raised an eyebrow at his choice of fish but ultimately shrugged and decided that the lack of coffee was more important.

"And the coffee, Frederic?"

The man lifted a thick finger into the air and spun around with a grin, leaving my apprentice staring at the plate with questioning eyes.

"Sir," I looked out of the corner of my eyes to find her swallowing and cocking her head at the fillet. "What kind of fish is that?"

"It's Carvanha, you pest."

Her eyes widened before she gave it a pitiful whimper. "But I thought Carvanha was poisonous, sir..."

I rolled my eyes with a growl. "Not if it's been prepared properly, apprentice. Do you actually think I would waste my time in poisoning you at this point?" I looked at her with cold eyes as her hazel eyes seemed to gain some odd shimmer in them. "It would be an utter waste of my time to kill something I bothered to train."

She blinked for a moment before nodding with a small smile. I opened my mouth to speak but was cut off by Frederic smashing the doors open with his hip as he carried a cup of steaming coffee on a small platter.

I found myself grinning at the blood-red mug as he set it down beside my breakfast. "Here you are, sir! One steaming cup of coffee, extra strong and bold just as you like it."

"Good." I lifted the platter off the counter with a nod and turned back towards the door. I had only walked a few steps when Frederic suddenly called out to me.

"Oi! Sir!" I looked over my shoulder to find him staring at us with wide eyes. "Your Persian was down here a few hours ago."

I raised an eyebrow as my apprentice stiffened beside me. "Alonso was here this morning?"

"Oui!" He nodded before straightening his long white coat. "He requested a breakfast of roast Farfetch'd and then carried it off down the hall. I thought you might want to know about it, sir."

I found myself growling as I recalled the distinct lack of mangy cat in my chambers this morning. _What in the world could that cat be up to? Why would he order his breakfast and take it..._ It was then that I recalled another feature on this floor.

Alonso had taken his breakfast to the exact location we were heading.

* * *

The moment my apprentice finished her meal, we quickly headed for the tenth floor once again. I made sure to hurry us along, feeling the clock ticking away every precious second we could be using to train as he nearly ran down the hall.

I stopped as we found ourselves at the last door on this floor, the heavy black metal door blocking any of the sounds from the inside of the room from reaching the hall. I placed my thumb on the scanner and smirked as the locked clicked.

"Welcome apprentice," I swung the door open and smiled as her eyes grew wide. "This is the Combat Room."

I lead her inside of the room of shouting grunts and brawling individuals, watching on as the training members of my organization dodged and flung punches with a heated energy. I let my apprentice take in the sights as I scanned the room, searching for the traitorous feline.

_There you are._ I found Alonso waiting beside the farthest ring from the door, almost as if he was waiting for someone. _Just what are you planning, pesky fleabag?_ I motioned for my apprentice to follow me as I headed towards the Classy Cat Pokémon, the girl scrambling after me with a squeak.

Alonso's tail swished for a few moments before he noticed me storming over towards him. He quickly leapt to his feet and dashed over to us, weaving around the practicing grunts and snaking his way around fallen fighters.

"Master!" He grinned as he headed towards us, my apprentice taking every step as if it were her last. "Master, you've arrived at last!" I frowned as he sat in mid-stride and slid to my feet. He looked up at me almost as if he were a simple Meowth again, his eyes gleaming with a lost innocence.

"Just what are you doing here, Alonso?"

He flicked towards the circle on the ground with a grin. "I was simply saving you the exact ring you used for your training, Master! I thought you might wish to use the same one again, so I came down here to reserve it."

I frowned as I recalled my first time in the Combat Room. At first, I was utterly hopeless and lost every fight. But, after a few all-night training sessions, I managed to become one of the best close-combat fighters Team Rocket had to offer. I glared at the floor as I found myself searching for a certain mark on the floor.

_And there it is._ I felt myself smiling slightly as I found a faded bloodstain on the floor. _Ah, the splatter of my first victim's blood._ _I certainly messed that nose up with that punch. I'm certain that he ended up having to go to the Medical Wing for that one, actually._

I turned around to find my apprentice looking at that prized mark of triumph with horror. I frowned and shook my head.

_And I'm certain that she'll leave a new mark on the floor today. One of her _own_ blood._

"Alright apprentice," I slipped out of my jacket and purposely hurled it at Alonso's face. The Persian let out a muffled yowl of shock before finding himself stuck inside of the black fabrics. I turned back to my apprentice to find her giving me wide eyes of horror.

"It's time you learned how to handle yourself in a fight."

* * *

**Author's Note: Look at me being all bold with my title here... I'm referring to the place, not using it as profanity. Let's face it, Team Rocket headquarters would be a living nightmare! So, I think the name is appropriate here.  
**

**I love seeing how hyped you guys are about Latias and Latios! It makes me really happy to see you all so excited! Alonso's up to no good again, most likely. Either that, or he expects Silver to totally pound his apprentice in the next chapter. Who are you rooting for in the next battle? Whoever may win, it's certain to be a thrilling match!**

**(As the author of this story, I feel I must tell you to be on the lookout for small details. Some serious stuff is on the horizon, and I'd prefer you guys tell me what you see and keep your eyes open for little clues. Nothing makes me happier than attentive, detail-finding readers!)**


	22. Close Combat and Dirty Tricks

***~~*Chapter Twenty-One: Close Combat and Dirty Tricks: Kotone's Viewpoint**

* * *

"L-Learn how to fight?!"

I stared with wide eyes as my mentor brushed his bangs back for a moment before reaching for his tie. He just glared at me as he loosened the red satin.

"Yes apprentice, you're going to learn how to fight hand-to-hand and defend yourself in a close combat situation." My eyes only grew wider as he flung his tie at Alonso's recently freed face.

He glared at me for a moment before rolling his eyes once again. "Oh for the love of Mew!" He took a step closer and narrowed his eyes into slits, making me feel even smaller under his piercing glare. "Will you quit staring already and get in the ring?!"

"Bu-but..." I pointed to the clothes he tossed aside and frowned. "Why did you do that?"

My mentor slammed a palm into his face yet again before giving me one of his cold glares. "So you would have less to grab, idiot! If the opponent is wearing loose clothing, you have a better chance at catching them!" He then snapped his fingers and pointed to the right side of the ring. I gulped before slowly making my way towards my spot.

"Now then," I tried to focus on my mentor as a throng of curious faces surrounded our ring. "You will go through _one_ battle against me as to test your abilities." A few of the grunts let out a few noises of excitement at this, making me feel even more uncomfortable. "I will be expecting your best, so _do not_ hold back."

"Y-Yes sir." I gulped once again as my throat felt like sandpaper. I stood there for a moment as my mentor watched on, his sharp eyes scanning the crowd before moving back to my face. After a few seconds of silence, he let out an exasperated groan.

"Oh for the love of Mew! Get in position, apprentice!" I felt my face warm as a few grunts laughed at me and motioned across their necks.

"Yes sir!" I then spread my legs apart and held my arms in front of me to protect myself as my mentor just hid his face and muttered angrily. The crowd laughed even harder at this, making me quickly realize that I was wrong again. Suddenly, someone gave me a shove with an indistinguishable mutter, making me fall to my rear and push my hat over my eyes. The grunts just exploded into hysterics as my mentor's familiar sigh rang out.

"Shoo!" I lifted my hat to find my mentor shoving the crowd back with a glare. "Get your butts out of my circle! If you're going to watch, stand back! Otherwise, I'll make sure to punch _you_ instead!"

_Punch? Oh no, please tell me he's not going to actually _punch_ me!_ I started to rise to my feet only to yanked up by my mentor. His namesake eyes burned with disapproval as embarrassment flooded my system.

"Now stand up!" He pushed me away after I was on my feet with a glare before he continued. "Don't be such a fool, apprentice. You're supposed to have a loose stance as to dodge attacks, not sit there like a blind Psyduck!" He jumped up slightly and landed on his toes with his legs stretching in front and behind him. His arms were relaxed but with fists ready at his chest. The image of a Hitmonchan flashed in my mind as he waved me on to do the same.

With a deep breath, I imitated his movements. Disapproval slowly melted from his eyes and was replaced with a look of examination. He stood up straight after locking his eyes on my stance. He then lifted a hand to his forehead and shook his head. I could tell by the chuckling grunts that I had messed up again.

"You're far too tight, apprentice." Silver walked over and grabbed my shoulders before roughly pulling my arms down away from my chin. He then shoved my feet apart with his own heavy shoes, making me let out a squeak of shock as I felt my balance shift away from my preferred location. "Spread your legs a little and keep your fists close to your body. In the case of an attack, you need to be able to move them in the path of the opponent's jab and block them. You'll never be able to protect yourself if your arms are locked to your sides."

"Yes sir," I gave him a nod and shook out the knot in my neck and shoulders. "I'll remember that."

A few members of the crowd snickered at my voice, making me feel the heat return to my face. My mentor just shot them a look and headed back to his own side of the circle. I looked up from checking my feet's positions to find him readying himself in a similar stance. It was just as he was lifting his fists that I noticed the tougher build of his arms.

_Oh no,_ I gulped as a sense of dread engulfed me. _Please don't let him hit me. Please don't let him hit me. Oh Ho-Oh _please_ don't let him be able to hit me._

"Apprentice!" His shout pulled me out of my worrying and made me focus on the sharp glare on his face instead of the strong arms that would probably send me right back to that terrible Medical Wing. "I expect your best in this fight! Fight as if you were facing any attacker on the street, not as if you're being tested. I want to see how you fight in a moment of desperation, not how you fight in a closed course."

_Great,_ I narrowed my eyes and just nodded in agreement as a few grunts pointed to me and started whispering to the person next to them. _I'm toast. Now I'm really regretting not paying much attention to Chuck's ramble about 'fighting with your heart and fists' after I beat him._

"Ready?" I looked to my left to find a grunt step out of the group. The grunt seemed to be a senior member, having both an aged face and tanned skin as if he had spent many days outside. His cold eyes narrowed as he looked between us. "The rules are the standard set this time around." My gaze locked onto a nasty scar on the side of his face, snaking down from beside his eye and ending close to the right corner of his mouth. Dreadful images of the possibility of gaining a scar of my own rushed my system and sent my heart into a frantic race.

"You'll fight until one of you is unable to get up or until your mentor deems it necessary to stop the match."

I gulped as the other grunts looked at me as if I was some sort of show, pointing fingers in excitement and elbowing each other to gain the attention of the others. _...The way they're all looking at me isn't very reassuring._

"Go!"

I found myself fumbling at his shout, making the crowd just laugh at me. I quickly turned to my mentor only to meet a fist head on. Dots raced in my vision as I stumbled backwards on the impact. My cheek throbbed where his knuckles had dug into my skin. I looked up and found my mentor backing up and readying himself to throw a second punch.

I managed to stand up straight just in time for him to launch his second attack. I leaned heavily to the left at the last second, making his attack only graze my right cheek. I smirked as I found him going through with the punch the instead of pulling back right away. _Maybe I can hit him myself now!_ I leaned back before hurling my right fist straight for his shoulder.

My mentor's eyes raced to my stooping figure and effortlessly dodged the incoming attack without even breaking a sweat. Shock coursed through my veins as he then socked me again right in my chin, sending my head pointing to the ceiling as a sharp bolt of pain raced up my skull.

I found myself falling to my knees as my mentor narrowed his cold gaze on me. I stopped myself from touching the floor just in time to see his right leg sweep towards me. I just stood there and fought to regain the feeling in my jaw as he pulled my legs out from under me.

The feeling came back in my jaw alright, right when I slammed it on the cold stone floor. The sounds of the room merged into a strange gurggle of yells, shouts and laughs as my heart throbbed louder than ever before. A sharp reek hit my nose, making me look to find my own blood tricking out of my lip. I couldn't even so much as form a complete thought before my mentor yanked my up to my feet by my belt and hurled me across the circle.

My heart pounded in my ears as I stumbled on my feet, trying to regain my position. A quick glance to my mentor found him yelling at me, scolding me without words as everything was lost to the sound of my own heart. I numbly wiped my mouth with my arm and felt nausea rise in my stomach at the sight of a long streak of crimson on my arm ending right at my wrist.

I didn't even have a chance to register the pain of the next attack. Next thing I knew I was thrown out of the ring by another punch to my cheek. My limp body was caught by a few grunts, who simply grabbed me by the arms and shoved me back in with silent laughs.

_What am I doing?_ My thoughts echoed in my head as my mentor's fist collided with my open lip, painting his knuckles a vibrant color and splattering my nose with cherry-red. _This is murder._ I found myself curling up and bending over as my head swam with pain and overstimulation. _He's killing me in this fight. I'm not even trying. _Try_ something, Kotone! C'mon, try to hit him!_

I pulled myself up just in time to find my mentor throwing another punch. Time seemed to slow as I leaned to right and managed to dodge his attack. Blood roared in my ears as I then gave him a jab in his chest. A surge of pride rushed through my veins as he was shoved back a bit from the hit. I then launched another punch with my left and managed to hit him on the wrist.

Silver pulled the affected hand away for a moment and shook it out with a glare. I smirked as I then tried to give him a punch in his own lip.

Shock slammed into me as he simply grabbed my wrist before I could hit him. My eyes grew wide as he suddenly yanked me closer and gave my arm a violent twist. I let out a soundless scream as he then shoved me away. I grabbed my throbbing arm and tried to turn around only to get a sharp kick on my back.

I fell face to the floor again as a single sound met my ears. The sound of laughter flooded my systems as I found a few grunts kneeling down and shouting at me, their voices lost in the sound of my heartbeat and the throbbing in my face. I slowly pushed myself up with shaking hands and found a single grunt standing still in front of me, her thin mouth not moving once as the crowd jumped with excitement beside her.

Her mouth suddenly moved as my arms shook under the dead weight of my body. Slowly, she started to mouth words to me.

_Say Marowak._ My mind somehow managed to piece her movements into words. _Say Marowak._ My arms gave way and I crashed back to the stone floor with a painful ring in my ears. _Say Marowak? Why?_ I lifted myself up with a groan of pain and looked back to the brunette grunt.

She pointed to her throat and repeated the words again. _Say Marowak. Say Marowak._

I didn't have enough time to guess what she meant before my mentor flipped me over onto my back with his foot, sending me crashing back down after wasting so much time in lifting myself up.

I found my vision black and blurry before the darkness faded into smeared colors that danced around me and swerved back and forth. A crimson and peach smear was leaning over me, surrounded by white and black. A pressure on my chest made me gasp for air, sending blood down my throat.

I figured I might as well risk it.

"Barowa!" My mouth struggled to form words as my numb lips fumbled with gutteral sounds. "B..Barowak..." I took a deep breath and shook my head slightly, feeling as if my head was underwater.

"Ma-ma...Marowak!"

A sharp ringing in my ears followed my gurggled yell. The world suddenly froze as the blurred shapes slowly became my mentor and and a hushed crowd of grunts. My vision seemed to have racing dots that swirled around the room, almost as if there were flying lights everywhere I looked.

"En...gh!" My mentor's voice swam in my head as it competed with the sounds of my thumping heart. "She's done! Back...everyone, get...ack!"

I clumsily lifted my head to see the grunts leaving with disappointed looks on their faces, all of them spreading out in every direction and allowing a glaring Persian to slip into view.

I then became aware of someone pulling me up by my arm, letting a new bolt of pain race through my system and blur all sound once again. Numbly I looked up to find my mentor giving me a glare before shaking his head. A raw feeling of anxiety rose once again in my gut.

"That was...atic." Silver's voice was still slipping in through pounding drums, making me struggle to understand his scolding. "You didn't even _try_ to duck! You honestly could...killed if this was...reets." He shot me a cold scowl before continuing, "You're lucky we have...issy with Heal Pulse...stupid girl."

I tried to say something, but all that came out was sputters and more blood from my open lip. Alonso rubbed up against my right leg, making me aware of a dull throb in my knees. My mentor released my arm and suddenly I was falling backwards and unable to even hold my own weight.

"Oi!" My mentor snatched my wrist only seconds before I fell on Alonso, his eyes burning with fury. "Can't even so much as stand, can you?" Another sharp yank sent me scrambling upwards and smacking into him. "You're just a mess, apprentice! Serves you right for performing so badly!"

My numb mouth gave no assistance in trying to make his rage subside. _I'm a mess? That seems to sum this whole thing up, a mess. Me? Trying to be a Rocket? That's a mess alright. I've been a failure at this from day one and now I've gone and busted my lip open..._

"C'mon, pest!" My mentor just shoved me back on my feet, pulled my left arm over his shoulders and started dragging me out of the room. "You might as well head for the Medical Wing and get fixed up before you give the floor a new coat of paint." I just stared blindly at my dragging feet as my mentor carried me out of the room, the sharp rank of blood overwhelming me every time I took a breath.

_Could I get any worse?_

* * *

**Author's Note: This Chapter was hard for me to write, both because of the subject of Kotone being pounded to a pulp and that I'm very inexperienced with actual _physical_ fighting. I mostly based this off of those boxing shows were the two guys just pound each other and hoped that I was at least doing things decent. "orz**

**How was the fight? Who was the girl that told Kotone to say _'Marowak'_? And why say _'Marowak'_ anyway? Go ahead and give me your guesses in the reviews section!**

**(The official explaination for _'Marowak'_ will be given next chapter, not to worry.)**


End file.
